From Philip Hayes, Department of Ophthalmology, Gosford Hospital
Despite the tone of your editorial, evolutionary biologists cannot use the argument of a lack of design in regard to mammal eye structure to support evolution any more than creationists can use the argument to the contrary (8 May, p 3). It is certainly the case that scientists can speciously quote studies to support their claims as readily as creationists are wont to do.
In the accompanying article (p 12) you quote biologist Kenneth Miller as saying that there are “shortcomings of [the retina’s] inside-out wiring”. Yet visual science has already determined that the inverted retina allows for countless physiological processes. Indeed, as your article notes, the evidence suggests that we are helped to see by the vertebrate structure. The blind spot, which is functionally inconsequential, is a small price to pay for the type of perception we enjoy.
When will biologists give up the idea that the vertebrate eye has a flawed layout?
Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
