Your Eyes

Exploring Our Vision

Sight is, by far, one of our most valuable senses. Without our vision, we would be unable to experience the beauty of a sunset or see the face of a loved one. Without sight, everyday tasks like driving and reading books would be impossible. Our eyes are complex machines that deliver a clear picture of the world around us – communicating the simplest of colors, shapes and textures.

Anatomy of the eye

• Cornea – This clear, dome-shaped structure on the surface of the eye acts as a window, letting light into the eye.
• Iris – The colored part of the eye, called the iris, is a muscle surrounding the pupil that relaxes and contracts to control the amount of light entering the eye.
• Pupil – The pupil is the round, central opening of the iris.
• Lens – This is the structure inside the eye that helps to focus light on the retina.
• Lens capsule – This elastic bag envelops the lens, helping to control lens shape when the eye focuses on objects at different distances.
• Zonules – Zonules are slender ligaments that attach the lens capsule to the inside of the eye, holding the lens in place.
• Ciliary body – This is the muscular area attached to the lens that contracts and relaxes to control the size of the lens for focusing.
• Sclera – This tough, outermost layer of the eye maintains the shape of the eye.
• Vitreous gel – This large, gel-filled section is located towards the back of the eyeball, and helps to maintain the curvature of the eye.
• Retina – The retina is a light-sensitive nerve layer in the back of the eye that receives light and converts it into signals to send to the brain.
• Macula – This is the area in the back of the eye that contains functions for seeing fine detail.
• Optic nerve – The optic nerve connects and transmits signals from the eye to the brain.

These structures within the eye work together as part of your optical system. So, how do our eyes work?

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