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Structure of Eye

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Human Eye: Anatomy, Structure and Functions

The eye is a sensory organ. It absorbs light rays from our surroundings and converts them in such a way that the facts in the brain can be treated further. The eye and brain form a component that has developed together in the course of evolution (visual system). The procedure of processing is so-called "seeing”, “watching" or "looking". The visual imprint is basically generated from visual memory, in which only a little new information from the eye is combined.


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  Part of the Human Eye Structure


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Cornea 


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The forward-facing side of the eye is the cornea. The cornea is transparent and is made up of six layers. The ring-shaped shift from the cornea to the sclera is named limbus (from Latin for "border"). With the help of the stem cells present there, the cornea is everlastingly renewed. It is somewhat thinner in the center than in the outer areas. This is particularly important in the case of eye lasers when a portion of the cornea is removed in order to enhance the refractive power. The curvature of the cornea refracts the light around 45 dioptres. The cornea is surrounded by tear fluids, which are produced in the tear glands and act as a supply and protect the eye.


Anterior and Posterior Chamber, Intraocular Luid

Anterior eye chamber is present behind the cornea, which is occupied by intraocular fluid. Behind the iris, the posterior chamber of the eye starts. The intraocular fluid is made and then released at the ciliary processes. It then slowly flows out through the pupil into the anterior chamber of the eye.


Iris


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The iris is situated in the center of the cornea. It contains many fine muscle pathways that can contract or expand. The resulting round opening in the middle is known as the pupil. The darker it is, the more light is required for vision - the pupil becomes respectively larger in darkness. In bright light, the pupil is only small. The iris is colored by certain pigments such as (blue, brown, green, grey, or corresponding mixed values).


Lens


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Eye lens (Phakos) is present behind the pupil. It is liable for about 15 dioptres of the refractive power, but it can alter its refractive power. Thanks to its ability (accommodation), the eye can watch sharply to objects present both near and far. The eye lens is a type of liquid sphere. They can be associated with a water-filled balloon. In the center called lens equator - the lens is hung up on the zonular fibers, which arises from the ciliary muscle. The lens fluid solidifies over the years’ cataract. Often, the old lens is removed during cataract surgical treatment and a non-natural lens is simply implanted - which guarantees a clear view even in old age.


Ciliary Muscle


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The ciliary muscle is situated behind the cornea in a ring-shaped figure present inside the eye. It can energetically influence the curving of the eye lens. In a stress-free state, the lens is flat and drawn out - so you can see well in the vicinity. But, if the ciliary muscle constricts (contract tone), the diameter of the ring is reduced. The zonula fibers relax and the lens takes on a somewhat bulbous, spherical shape. This causes changes in the refractive power of the lens so that you can see well in the surrounding area. This process is called accommodation.


Vitreous Chamber


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The inner space of the eyeball is completely filled by the vitreous body. It has of a gel-like clear liquid and is particularly important for the stability of the eyeball: the liquid creates a pressure, called intraocular pressure. This makes sure that the surrounding layers do not peel off and break down. In the absence of intraocular pressure, the eye would be much more sensitive to outside pressure impacts that affect the cornea. An abnormal intraocular pressure can give rise to many eye diseases, such as glaucoma.


The Dioptric Apparatus


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All the elements through which the rays of light travel before they hit the retina cause a dioptric effect. They are also known as dioptric apparatus. The aqueous humor and the vitreous body are transparent so that there is barely any measurable refraction of single photons. The cornea and eye lens are accountable for the actual dioptric effect. The entire eye has a refractive power around 59 dioptres (DPT), of which is about 43 DPT (75%) is on the cornea and about 19 DPT (25%) on the lens (in a relaxed).


Sclera  

  
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The eyeball is covered by three layers. The outer or exterior shell is called the sclera. It is the white color part of the eye which surrounds the cornea. The sclera forms more than 80% of the eyeball’s surface area. it extends from the cornea all the way to the optic nerve that exists on the backside of the eye.


Choroid

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Inside the protecting sclera follows the choroid, which, as the name suggests, is permeated by several blood vessels and capillaries. The blood delivers the retina with nutrients and oxygen.


Retina

The retina is situated on the back or inside of the eye. It is made up of different cell layers: the photoreceptors transform the light impulse into an electrical nerve impulse. The light information is bundled in named receptive fields, enlarged, and transmitted to the brain via the visual pathway.


The genuine "visual process" then occurs on the retina. The retina is made of a number of different cell kinds with different responsibilities. First of all, the sensory cells are vital. They convert the light into an electrical impulse.


There are two kinds of vision cells:

• The rods (light-dark vision, active in evening or darkness)

• The cones (accountable for color vision)


Three different kinds of cone cells are essential for color vision:

• Pins for red-visibility (about 46% of all pins)

• Cones for green vision (about 46% of all cones)

• Cones for blue vision (about 8% of all cones)


The three types of cone react to light of different wavelengths. 


If a photon or a light partial with a wavelength in the red region hits a red cone, then it "produces" an impulse at the following cells. The other two cone kinds remain inactive for a "red photon". They react accordingly when photons reach their exact wavelength. If one of these cone types is not properly made due to a genetic defect, there will be a color vision injury or color blindness we can say as red-green weakness. The genetic irregularities of the eye's color are as follows:

Protanomaly: Red vision weakness

Protanopia: Red blindness

Deuteranomaly: Green vision weakness

Deuteranopia: Green blindness

Tritanopia: Blue blindness

Tritanomaly: Blauseh weakness


Further Processing on the Retina

The retina involves a large number of other different cells that develop the electrical impulses directed by the visual cells. The visual information from neighboring regions is bundled, compared, and enhanced in contrast. It can be said that only "new" and "relevant" info from the "image" is delivered to the brain This "filtering" of data is very effective and economical. Evolution has advanced the eye in such a way that it uses as little energy as possible. Rationally, you don't have to see everything to live, but only what is vital.


Stereoscopic Vision

The pre-structured optical evidence is then conveyed to the brain with the help of the optic nerve. The info is collected from both eyes and forwarded together. This is where "stereoscopic vision" is formed. The information from the left and right eye is somewhat different since the angle of incidence is marginally different. From this difference, the brain can conclude something like space. The spatial visual imprint is therefore produced from the different information of the two eyes. Correctly, still, one has to say that the learned information like perspective, sizes, and so on have a bigger share of the three-dimensional visual imprint than stereoscopic vision.


Lastly, the information reaches the brain with the help of the optic nerve - and here it is spread over large areas that are stored to fluctuating degrees (via linked synapses of the single nerve cells). Eventually, this "neural pattern" is what we see as a visual image of reality. This pattern has been continuously developed and modified since the first day of opening the eyes.


More about the Human Eye

The human eye is a part of the sensory nervous system in the human body which helps us in receiving light reflected from the surface of objects. This light signal gets transferred to the brain where it is processed by it and we get the perception of size, color, motion, and other visual properties of objects. 


The human eye is a very complex organ that involves a lot of complex parts. The eye is an example of the human body where biology and physics work hand in hand and make it possible to see the world around us.


The human eye is placed on either side of the nose in a socket in the forehead bone which is known as orbits. Depending on the side of the face where the eye is situated it is known as the left or right eye. The outer layer of the eye is protected by the sclera and eyelids. Eyelids are attached to the eyelashes.


The outer layer of the eye is called the cornea, it gives shape to our eye. In the center of Corona, we have a pupil which is surrounded by iris. The pupil can be thought of as a hole through which the light passes into our eye and the size of the Pupil is controlled by the iris.


Below the pupil, we have an eye lens that is connected with suspensory ligaments of the eye. These muscles change the shape of the lens which helps in refocusing images by the lens. The image created by the lens is projected on the retina which is present at the back of the eye. This acts as a screen that helps us in capturing the images as sensory nerve signals with help of rod and cone cells.

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FAQs on Structure of Eye

1. Where can I find more about the human eye?

Vedantu has collaborated with the best teachers and experts to create complete and accurate materials on the human eye tailored to the needs of each class of students. We believe the human eye is one of the most important topics for students in respect to board exams as well as in competitive exams. The materials will help you pace your understanding of the human eye and its function in a super easy and fun way. You can sign up and start exploring not only this topic but all required topics for you.

2. Why do we need glasses for the eye?

Human beings are able to see the world when light reflected from the surface of any object creates an image on the retina and it is converted to a sensory signal with help of rod and cone cells and processed by the brain. This image is created by the lens present in our eyes. When the distance of the object changes the shape of the lens also changes to create the image on the retina. But when due to some reason the lens is unable to change its shape we need glasses to help the lens create an image on the retina.


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