Final answer:
The pigmented layer of the retina stores a large quantity of Vitamin A, critical for the formation of rhodopsin in the rod cells, essential for low light vision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pigmented layer of the retina adjacent to the photoreceptors stores a large quantity of Vitamin A. Vitamin A is crucial for vision because it forms part of the molecule rhodopsin, which is the photopigment in the rod cells of the retina. The rod cells are responsible for vision in low light conditions. Rhodopsin is composed of the protein opsin and the non-protein component retinene (all-trans-retinal). Vitamin A from dietary sources such as beta-carotenes (plant sources) and retinyl esters (animal sources) is converted and stored in the liver. When needed, especially in the eye, Vitamin A is then transported, bound to retinol-binding protein (RBP) and prealbumin in the blood, and used for the synthesis of rhodopsin which allows the phototransduction process to occur efficiently.