Vision

Vision begins in the retina of the eye, where neurons detect brightness, color, contrast and motion in the outside world. As visual information is relayed to more and more complex areas of the brain, features of the visual scene become more sophisticated and give rise to visual perception and misperception, like visual illusions. In diseases like age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma, neurons in the retina die, resulting in vision loss and eventually, blindness. Understanding how neurons normally function in the visual system is critical for understanding how to best preserve and restore visual function. UC Davis is home to one of the largest and most successful groups of Vision Research faculty and clinical care providers, anchored by the Center for Vision Sciences and the Eye Center, and supported by a National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded Vision Core grant and an NEI Vision Sciences T32 Training Program. Faculty working in this area include a wide array of expertise, including molecular biologists, psychologists, physiologists, neuroscientists, mathematicians, engineers and clinical ophthalmologists.