Hamster sight

Question
Hello.  Thank you for providing expert advice on the topic of hamsters.  I just love my little critter!  

I was trying to find an authoritative description of how hamsters see.  Can hamsters detect colours, how far can they see, how well can they resolve an image?  From watching my hamster it seems like he can't see very far at all.  I was thinking that they would probably not need to see very well from living close to the ground and preferring burrows/covered areas.  

Any information would be greatly appreciated!  

Thanks again

Answer
Unfortunately I'm not sure of the color vs black and white debate, but I've heard that almost all rodents are color blind because they have very few cone cells in their eyes, which detect color. Also think about it, hamsters are nocturnal, they don't require color vision to survive. I'd have to agree with the majority, that hamsters can not see in color.

Your correct in thinking they are near sighted. Hamsters have relatively poor vision, and rely more on scent and sounds to guide them. From far away they notice movement more then details.