Photoreceptors in the retina constitute the cellular building blocks of the initial stage of vision. To isolate the contribution of a single cell to any percept is quite challenging because normal ocular optics and motion distributes light from small stimuli over many photoreceptors. Recent microstimulation techniques coupled with adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy can produce stimuli as small as single photoreceptors that can be directed to precise locations on the retina. This enables direct in vivo study of cone activity and how it relates to visual perception. We provide an overview of the technology and recent results obtained with cone-targeted psychophysics.
Copyright 2019, The Author(s).