watch learn do exploratorium

Here’s the inside of the back of the eye again. Behind the retina is a layer of shiny, blue-green stuff called the tapetum . This layer assists night vision by reflecting light back through the retina . You don’t have a tapetum, but cats and cows (and other animals) do. A cat’s eyes shine in the headlights of a car because of the tapetum.


WATCH VIDEO

previous step eye diagram home
  © Exploratorium | The museum of science, art and human perception