Python eye sight ?

Hi to everyone
This is probably an old and worn out query I do not know ,but how well do pythons see ?.Their eyes do not appear to react to movement a lot of the time and seem to rely on tasting the air with their tongue when an object is moved in close proximity to thier face/eyes. Are Epilads any different ? .Venomous species such as taipans appear to have a different eye so do they have better vision?, maybe they use different tactics to hunt prey than python species.
Sorry to be prattling on so much but as I am still a relative newcomer to the reptile world, the facination of these animals is a constant source of hunger to me ....Scott

[Pythoninfinite]

Good observation Scott - pythons don't have good eyesight, but are sensitive to smell and heat (hence the evident heat pits in the jaws of all but Aspidites). Some elapids certainly do have good eyesight, taipans and brownsnakes especially are able to chase prey such as lizards and rodents when they encounter them.

Jamie.

[coatesy]

i have noticed that olives seem to have good eyesight as mine reacts to the slighest moovement

[cam]

So does my mac

[serpenttongue]

I consider their eyesight to be reasonable. My outdoor diamonds can see me coming from about 8 metres away and quickly pull their heads back into their boxes.

I would imagine that their eyes don't move much because they can view most of their surroundings while keeping the eyeball in a fixed position, but if you look carefully while holding a python you will see it's eyes move back and forth slightly as it tries to focus on objects.

If you look at their eyes close up while they're resting in their enclosure they usually wont move as a persons face staring at them closely tends to make them nervous, in which case they usually "freeze".