Vertebrate visual optics: ontogeny, phylogeny and function of the lens

脊椎动物的眼睛由两个折射成分组成，水晶晶状体和角膜，它们将光线聚集在视网膜上。晶状体是细胞和外胚层的，并在生命中发育。晶状体光学由形状和折射率分布以及调节是由晶状体形状的变化(如陆地物种)还是通过晶状体的运动(如水生动物)引起的。在空气中，角膜是主要的折射结构，而在水中，角膜的折射贡献很小，甚至没有。这项研究是为了了解a)视觉环境对眼睛屈光特性的影响，b)脊椎动物眼睛发育造成的光学限制，以及c)脊椎动物如何应对其生活史上的视觉需求。

The vertebrate eye consists of two refractive components, the crystalline lens and the cornea, which focus light on the retina. The lens is cellular and ectodermal and develops through life. Lens optics is governed by shape and refractive index distribution as well as by whether accommodation is brought about by changes in lens shape, as in terrestrial species, or through lens movement, as in aquatic animals. The cornea is the dominant refractive structure in air but makes little or no refractive contribution in water. This research represents an effort to understand a) the effect of the visual environment on the refractive properties of the eye b) the optical limitations imposed by vertebrate ocular development and c) how vertebrates cope with the visual demands of their life histories.