How Many Megapixels Are Your Eyes?

Ever since digital cameras and smartphones gained prominence, there appears to be a mad rush for megapixels. Every year, new products are launched that claim to offer higher megapixel cameras. It makes us wonder if our eyes can really differentiate between the different resolutions captured by these digital devices. The next question that pops up is how many megapixels is the human eyes. It can also be rephrased as what is the resolution of human eyes. To answer such questions, here are some important things to understand.

Human eyes megapixel

Human eyes may seem like a camera, but they are in fact quite different. However, since both the eyes and camera record visuals, it's not a bad idea to get a rough estimate of megapixels of human eyes. In an experiment, it was found that human eyes are as good as a 576 megapixel camera. Theoretically, if we use our eyes as a camera lens, it will be rated as a 576 megapixel lens. This is much higher than megapixels currently available with latest digital cameras and smartphone cameras.

However, before you jump to conclusions, it is important to note that our eyes have several limitations. For example, the high megapixel of our eyes is limited to a specific part of the retina. This section of the retina is referred to as fovea. It covers only the central two degrees in the direct field of view. This is far less as compared to digital devices that can capture wide angle images and videos without any loss of megapixels.

Another limitation of human eyes is blind spots. These are present at the meeting point of retina and optic nerves. Distance is another factor that affects the ability of our eyes. For example, you can identify individual particles of sand when looked at closely. However, when you look at a wide beach, you only see a layer of colour and not the individual particles. A camera also has similar limitations, but it can be overcome with optical zoom lens.

It's the brain that interprets

Human eyes only pass on information to the brain, where it is interpreted. Only a small fraction of what we see through our eyes is actually recorded in the brain. Much of it is discarded or moved to subconscious part of the brain.

The working of human eyes and brain and other related processes are yet to be fully understood. A number of research projects are currently underway to better understand the eye and brain connect. It will help humanity create improved AI based systems, which can be deployed for various purposes such as advanced robots, autonomous driving, space exploration, etc.