3.3.18

The Human Eye

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The Human Eye

The human eye is the organ that senses and reacts to light and allows us to visualise what is around us. Different parts of the eye include:

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The cornea

  • This is the transparent outside layer of the eye. Light is focused into the eye.
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The pupil

  • Light enters the pupil, which is just a hole.
  • The pupil is able to change size depending on how much light there is.
    • When it is dark, the pupil will be bigger to let in more light.
    • When it is sunny, the pupil will be smaller.
  • This is why if someone turns the light on just after you have woken up, it hurts your eyes.
    • Your pupils will be large because it was dark just before this happened.
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The iris

  • The Iris is a muscle that controls the size of the pupil, and so the amount of the light that enters the eye and the amount that can reach the retina.
  • The iris can be different colours, with 55% of the world’s population having brown eyes and 10% having blue.
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The lens

  • The lens is a transparent structure that is able to change shape. It is found behind the Iris.
  • The lens will focus light onto the retina.
    • Sometimes, the lens will not focus light directly onto the retina.
    • If the lens becomes cloudy, this is known as cataracts.
    • If the lens doesn’t focus light correctly onto the retina, you may need glasses.
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The retina

  • The retina is the back of the eye where the light is focused.
  • This is made up of rod and cone cells (photoreceptors).
  • When light hits the rod and cone cells, they form electrical impulses.
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The optic nerve

  • The optic nerve is a nerve that connects the eye to the brain. The eye sends signals along this nerve and the brain can then form images.
  • Because of the optic nerve’s position, your eye actually has a blind spot.
  • When light rays hit the retina, the image formed is actually upside down. It is your brain that turns it around.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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