Are Rats With Red Eyes Blind?
WouterMany people wonder why rats have red eyes. The answer to this question is simple: they are nearsighted, not blind. Rats are nocturnal, so they rely on their sense of hearing and smell to interact with their environment. Since rats are mostly active at night, they are less likely to be threatened by predators.
Though red eyes are not blind, they do have trouble seeing compared to their black-eyed cousins. This is caused by a genetic mutation in the eye, which prevents it from producing pigment. Rats with pink or red eyes have blood vessels in the retina, which reflect light back. However, their pigmented cornea hides this information.
In addition to a reduced vision, red eyed rats also have poor depth perception. To compensate for this, these animals sway their eyes to measure depth perception. This phenomenon can also occur in other species of rodents, such as topaz, albino, and pink eyed whites.
It’s unclear whether red-eyed rats are blind. While they are not completely blind, they do have a hard time seeing during the day. Despite this, they still respond to movement, smells, and sounds. Although they have a hard time seeing in the dark, their eyesight is generally not that bad – and not all white ones are, either.
Another way to make the study more accurate is to use monochromatic lasers for the experiments. This would clean up the wavelength sensitivity problem, but it would require repeating the entire experiment. This would also detract from the study’s main question. The study is very well done, but we must continue to ask ourselves: Are rats with red eyes blind?
