In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down how vision works from start to finish, tying together physics (optics) and biology (retina + neural pathway) in the exact way the MCAT can test it across Chem/Phys, Bio/Biochem, and Psych/Soc.

You’ll learn how light refracts through the cornea and lens, why the cornea does most of the refraction, and how the eye focuses images onto the retina. Then we walk through transduction in the retina (rods and cones → bipolar cells → ganglion cells), how signals travel through the optic nerve, cross at the optic chiasm (by visual field, not by eye), relay through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), and arrive at the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe for perception.

We also cover high-yield MCAT optics and vision topics, including:

Cornea vs lens refraction and why LASIK reshapes the cornea

Fovea and why cones drive high-acuity color vision

Rods vs cones (low light vs color/detail)

Myopia vs hyperopia and which lenses correct each (diverging vs converging)

The blind spot and why it exists

Why real images are inverted on the retina and how the brain interprets vision

🎧 Listen, take notes, and use this as a clear, connected review for any MCAT passage that mixes optics + anatomy + perception.

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