Although most text books still tell us that the mammalian retina only contains two sorts of photoreceptor (rods and cones), we have actually known for more than 10 years that this is not the case. Rather, a subset of the retina’s output neurones, retinal ganglion cells, are capable of acting as autonomous photoreceptors thanks to their expression of a photopigment called melanopsin. I will provide an overview of how melanopsin photoreceptors work, what we use them for, and how their discovery has changed our understanding of how the retina encodes the visual scene. I will also describe the practical applications of this knowledge, how it is already changing the world around us and what might happen in future.
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