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Why do dogs and cats have similar eyes and see well at night?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hi! I'm currently doing research on a dogs eye and I would like to know a few of these stuff: Why is the area centralis the most sensitive part of the dog's retina? Why do cats and dogs have similar eyes?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Meredith L. Voyles, DVM, DAVCO

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist

Published on April 3rd, 2017

Hello! What a fun research project! The area centralis is the portion of the retina that has a very high concentration of photoreceptors for increased resolution and high visual acuity. It is similar to the fovea in humans. Dogs and cats have similar retinal anatomy. They have a higher concentration of "rods" as compared to "cones". Rods allow subtle detection in light changes and improved vision in low light. This is why dogs and cats can see much better in the dark as compared to their humans! Since both dogs and cats were once considered predators, they needed improved dim light vision to catch their prey. I hope this helps! I'm happy to provide a consult if you need more detailed information.

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    The area centralis of the retina is a small region of the retina strongly specialized for high resolution, binocular vision. The region is typically located near the centre of the retina. The similar eye conformation reflects their evolution in terms of survival; feeding behaviour (both of them are hunters) is an example of that.

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