Optical image quality and the cone mosaic.

Contrary to the orthodox view that optical image quality should "match" the photoreceptor grain, anatomical data from the eyes of various animals suggest that the image quality is significantly superior to the potential resolution of the cone mosaic in most retinal regions. A new theory is presented to explain the existence of this relation and to better appreciate eye design. It predicts that photoreceptors are potentially visible through the natural optics.