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A fundamental concept in quantum mechanics stating that every quantum entity, such as light (photons) or matter (electrons), may be described in terms of either waves or particles, but never both simultaneously.
read more about wave particle duality ...Light exhibits wave properties (e.g., diffraction, refraction, interference) but also particle properties (e.g., photoelectric effect, where light acts as discrete packets of energy called photons).
Vision begins with the interaction of a single photon (particle) of light with a rhodopsin molecule in a photoreceptor (rod or cone), initiating the chemical cascade that leads to sight.
This principle forces a reconciliation between classical physics (which treated light as pure wave) and quantum physics (which treats energy and matter discretely).
Light behaves as a particle (photon) when it interacts with matter, such as when it strikes the photoreceptors in the retina or when explaining the photoelectric effect.
The concept was formalized by Louis de Broglie in 1924, who proposed that matter, just like light, also has wavelike properties.
The eye's optical system is analyzed using wave optics (refraction, aberration), but the initial detection of light is a quantum event involving individual photons (particles).