How Far Can Rats See?

Rats have a relatively low depth of field, or the distance from an object to the retina. Their vision is only about 20/600 as sharp as human vision, so objects that are more than a few feet away will appear blurry. Although a rat may be able to recognize an object, it will not be able to determine its shape or size. Rats process visual information from their eyes in a similar manner to humans, though they do move their eyes in different directions.

Rats use their vision for navigation and orienting themselves in space. Their eyesight is relatively poor, but it can help them identify larger objects and avoid obstacles. Rats can also see in the ultraviolet range. Even with poor eyesight, rats can distinguish between colors and recognize humans. They also have good memory.

Rats can’t see red, but they can discern shades of blue and green. But since they are nocturnal, having a good sense of color would not be very useful. However, they do have good peripheral vision, meaning that they can focus on objects just a few feet away. They can also discern movement up to 45 feet away.

Researchers have attempted to make rats see infrared light. These studies aim to teach us how to see in this wavelength, which is a crucial step towards developing a better vision for humans. For example, in one study, scientists implanted tiny infrared detectors into the visual cortex of rats. They found that when the rats were exposed to the light, they responded positively. In addition, the rats were able to track the infrared device in the dark. The results of these experiments were reported in the journal Neuroscience.