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This book provides a comparative account of all known types of eye in the animal kingdom, outlining their structure and function with an emphasis on the nature of the optical systems and the physical principles involved in image formation. A universal theme throughout the book is the evolution and taxonomic distribution of each type of eye, and the roles of different eye types in the behaviour and ecology of the animals that possess them. In comparing the specific capabilities of eyes, it considers the factors that lead to good resolution of detail and the ability to function under a wide range of light conditions.
This new edition is fully updated throughout, incorporating more than a decade of new discoveries and research.
1: The origin of vision
2: Light and vision
3: What makes a good eye?
4: Aquatic eyes: the evolution of the lens
5: Lens eyes on land
6: Mirrors in animals
7: Apposition compound eyes
8: Superposition eyes
9: Movements of the eyes
Michael F. Land obtained a BA in Zoology from Cambridge his PhD in Neurophysiology from University College London. He was Research Fellow at University of California, Berkeley (1967-1971), before moving to the University of Sussex where he was a Lecturer and then Professor of Neurobiology (from 1984 to present [now Emeritus]). He also held Visiting Fellowships in Eugene Oregon (1980), Australian Nation University Canberra (1982-84), and Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, NC (1993). He was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1982.
Dan-Eric Nilsson obtained his BSc in Biological Sciences from Goteborg University and his PhD in Structural Biology from University of Lund. He was Research Fellow at the Australian National University Canberra (1983-4) and then the University of Lund (1984-1989). He stayed at Lund as a Lecturer (1989-1995) then Professor of Zoology (from 1995). He was elected to the Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm in 2002, and to the German Academy of Natural Sciences, Leopoldina in 2005.
Reviews from the previous edition:
"The novelty and skilled treatment of the subject matter make it a unique and valuable work. It should be in the library of every college, university, and school of optometry."
- The Quarterly Review of Biology
"Charming and excellent book ... Land and Nilsson are acknowledged authorities on invertebrate optics, and their collaboration in this book is a very successful one ... Their handling of the mathematical aspects of optics is elegant and remarkably penetrating."
- The Quarterly Review of Biology 2
