Colour Fatigue

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This is one of a series of diagrams exploring colour perception through visual illusions.

Visual illusions reveal anomalies in the way humans interpret the world.

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Description

Colour Fatigue

TRY SOME QUICK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO GET STARTED
Does the optic nerve transmit visual information towards the brain?
Yes! The optic nerve is composed of the axons of ganglion cells and transmits visual information assembled within the retina towards the geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex.
Does the retina in the human eye include a light sensitive layer of neurons?
Yes! The human retina inside the eyeball has a light-sensitive layer of neurons on its surface?
Why is there a blind spot in the human eye?
The blind spot in the human eye corresponds with the point in the retina where the optic nerve exits and the central artery enters the eyeball.
What is colour fatigue?
Colour fatigue occurs when staring at a fixed arrangement of bright hues until the photosensitive chemicals in cone cells in the retina become depleted which results in incorrect information being sent to the brain. Accurate perception of colours returns after a minute or so. Complementary coloured after-images and other effects are often visible when staring steadily at a white surface.

About the diagram

Looking steadily at strong colours confuses the light-sensitive cells in our eyes. The cells don’t recover immediately when we look away.

Stare at the white square in the diagram without blinking for at least 15 seconds. Now close your eyes. Can you name the colours in the after-image?

Some key terms

Visible light

Visible light refers to the range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that is perceived as colour by human observers. While the range of visible light is generally considered to be 400-700 nm, the exact range of colours perceptible can vary slightly between individuals.

  • Visible light is one form of electromagnetic radiation. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. Visible light ranges from approximately 400 nanometres (nm) for violet to 700 nm for red.
  • A human observer perceives visible light as a combination of all the spectral colours between red and violet, as well as a vast range of other colours produced from the blending of different wavelengths in varying proportions.
Visible spectrum

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is called the visible spectrum.

  • The visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.
  • As light travels through the air it is invisible to our eyes.
  • Human beings don’t see wavelengths of light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
  • The visible spectrum includes all the spectral colours between red and violet and each is produced by a single wavelength.
  • The visible spectrum is often divided into named colours, though any division of this kind is somewhat arbitrary.
  • Traditional colours referred to in English include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Visible spectrum

The visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.

  • As light travels through the air it is invisible to our eyes.
  • Human beings don’t see wavelengths of light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
  • The visible spectrum includes all the spectral colours between red and violet and each is produced by a single wavelength.
  • The visible spectrum is often divided into named colours, though any division of this kind is somewhat arbitrary.
  • Traditional colours referred to in English include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Visible light

Visible light is the range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation perceived as colour by human observers.

  • Visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation.
  • Other forms of electromagnetic radiation include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
  • Visible light is perceived by a human observer as all the spectral colours between red and violet plus all other colours that result from combining wavelengths together in different proportions.
  • A spectral colour is produced by a single wavelength of light.
  • The complete range of colours that can be perceived by a human observer is called the visible spectrum.
  • The range of wavelengths that produce visible light is a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Optical illusion

Optical illusions and other visual anomalies are caused by the way the human visual system processes information.

  • Physical illusions: Physical illusions result from the limitations and assumptions of the human visual system when interpreting the external world.
  • Physiological illusions: Physiological illusions are often connected with the different attributes of visual perception and occur when visual stimuli are beyond our brain’s processing ability.
  • Cognitive illusions: Cognitive illusions result from the brain’s inability to correctly interpret visual information, leading to uncertainties or errors in perception.
Bands of colour

An observer perceives bands of colour when visible light separates into its component wavelengths and the human eye distinguishes between different colours.

  • The human eye and brain together translate light into colour.
  • When sunlight is dispersed by rain and forms a rainbow, an observer will typically distinguish red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet bands of colour.
  • Although a rainbow contains electromagnetic waves with all possible wavelengths between red and violet, some ranges of wavelengths appear more intense to a human observer than others.

 

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