Compound eye

/kˈɒmpaʊnd ˈaɪ/

/kˈɑːmpaʊnd ˈaɪ/

[noun]

Compound eye

[NOUN]

a complex visual organ with multiple lenses found in insects and crustaceans

What is a "compound eye"?

A compound eye is a specialized visual organ found in many arthropods, particularly insects and crustaceans. It consists of numerous tiny individual visual units called ommatidia, each with its own lens, photoreceptor cells, and nerve fibers. These ommatidia work together to form a mosaic-like structure, allowing the compound eye to perceive a wide field of view and detect motion effectively. Unlike the single-lens eyes of vertebrates, compound eyes provide insects with a highly sensitive and rapid visual system, enabling them to quickly respond to their environment, detect predators, navigate, and locate food sources. The compound eye's ability to detect rapid changes in light and movement is well-suited for the active and agile lifestyle of many arthropods.

Examples

1. Mantises have compound eyes composed of thousands of light-sensing units.

2. Like modern arthropods, trilobites had compound eyes composed of many tiny lenses.

3. Most eyes, from the fancy compound eyes of bees to our own simple ones, focus light with a lens onto a retina, which contains light-sensitive photoreceptors.

4. But it doesn't stop there, 68 people are blinded from a faulty compounded eye injection in Dallas.