A compound eye is an optical structure formed by numerous individual visual units called ommatidia, each acting as a separate light-collecting and image-sensing component. These units are organized into a lattice-like array, allowing the overall structure to capture a wide field of view while maintaining a high degree of spatial resolution. Each ommatidium functions independently, containing its own lens and specialized photoreceptor cells that convert photons into electrical signals. This modular architecture allows the organism to process visual information by integrating data from thousands of discrete points, enabling advanced depth perception and motion detection.