simple eye with multiple lenses

Simple eye that has two or more lenses. Some marine organisms bear more than one lens; for instance the copeopod Pontella has three. The outer has a parabolic surface, countering the effects of spherical aberration while allowing a sharp image to be formed. Copilla's eyes have two lenses, which move in and out like a telescope.

Тип Organ
Родительская структура simple eye

Часто задаваемые вопросы

Why would an eye need more than one lens?
Multiple lenses in a simple eye serve different optical purposes. In copepods like Pontella, a parabolic outer lens corrects spherical aberration while a second lens focuses the image — together achieving sharper resolution than either lens alone. In Copilia, a pair of lenses creates a scanning mechanism where the inner lens moves across a fixed retinal area, effectively scanning the visual scene sequentially rather than imaging it all at once.
How does Copilia's two-lens eye work?
Copilia is a marine copepod crustacean with a remarkable eye: a large outer lens gathers light, and a small inner lens moves rhythmically side-to-side — scanning back and forth across the image formed by the outer lens. This scanning motion allows the single retinal sensor to sequentially sample different parts of the visual field, functioning somewhat like a flying-spot scanner rather than a conventional image-forming eye.
Are multiple-lens simple eyes common in nature?
Simple eyes with multiple lenses are relatively rare compared to single-lens camera eyes and compound eyes. They occur in some copepod crustaceans (notably Pontella and Copilia) and a few other invertebrates. The multiple-lens solution represents an evolutionary variant that achieves specific optical improvements — aberration correction or scanning ability — within the single-chamber simple eye architecture.

Связанные структуры

Медицинский отказ от ответственности

Данный контент предназначен исключительно для образовательных и информационных целей. Он не предназначен для замены профессиональных медицинских консультаций, диагностики или лечения. Всегда обращайтесь за советом к своему врачу или другому квалифицированному медицинскому работнику по любым вопросам, связанным с состоянием вашего здоровья. Никогда не игнорируйте профессиональные медицинские советы и не откладывайте их получение из-за того, что вы прочитали на этом сайте.

Educational Disclaimer

This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical decisions.

Data sources: Terminologia Anatomica, Foundational Model of Anatomy, Wikidata.