Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) Practice Exam

The pigments of the cones are sensitive to what?

1. The wavelengths for black, white, and grey

2. The wavelengths for red, green, and blue

3. The comfort level of light exposure

4. The brightness of visual stimuli

The correct answer is: The wavelengths for red, green, and blue

The pigments of the cones are indeed sensitive to the wavelengths associated with red, green, and blue light. This sensitivity to different wavelengths is fundamental to the concept of color vision. Human cones are categorized into three types based on the specific photopigments they contain, each corresponding to a different part of the visible spectrum. The S-cones are sensitive to short wavelengths (blue), the M-cones to medium wavelengths (green), and the L-cones to long wavelengths (red). When light hits these cones, the pigments undergo a chemical change, allowing the brain to interpret the mix of signals from these three cone types as various colors. This process underpins how we perceive a wide range of colors by combining these primary colors. The other options do not accurately describe the role of cone pigments in color vision; they address concepts that are not linked to the specific wavelengths of light that rods and cones respond to.