What is cone vision?

• A. Vision under normal lighting, visual acuity drops as brightness decreases, the contrast of indications against a background will be reduced as brightness goes down
• B. Night vision
• C. Color vision only
• D. Motion detection

Answer: (A)

Cone vision is the daylight, high-acuity, color-sensitive vision produced by cone cells in the retina. In normal lighting, you rely on cones to resolve fine details and perceive color. As brightness decreases, visual acuity declines because cones require brighter light, and the ability to distinguish an indication from its background (contrast) also drops. This description fits cone vision, which performs best in bright conditions and worsens as illumination falls. Night vision, by contrast, is driven mainly by rods and provides less detail and no reliable color, while motion detection and color perception involve other aspects of vision beyond the basic cone function.