The Eye!

Sclera

Iris

Pupil

Lens

Retina

Cornea

Optic nerve

Function of the parts of the eye

Sclera Surrounds the eye and holds it together. The
muscles that allow the eye to move are attached to the
sclera.
Cornea The front part of the sclera is colorless and
transparent. Refracts the light that enters the eye.
Pupil The point at which the light actually enters the
eye. It gets larger or smaller to let more or less light in.
Iris Ring of muscle that controls the size of the pupil

Function of the parts of the eye

Lens Refracts light to focus the image on the retina
and can change shape with the help of the ciliary
muscles.
Retina The light sensitive layer on the inside of the
eye where the image is produced and then converted
into nerve signals.
The retina includes two types of cells, rods (sensitive to light
levels) and cones (sensitive to color)

Optic nerve Carries the nerve signals to the brain to

be interpreted

Interesting fact
Humans have three color receptors (red, green, and
blue)
Mantis shrimp have 12

Can I make the tip of your finger

disappear?
1. Close your left eye and keep it closed
2. With your right eye look at an object in the distance (at least 3
meters away)
3. Make sure to keep your left eye closed and your right eye fixed on
this object.
4. Extend your right arm straight out in front of you with your finger
pointed up (to the ceiling). Get the tip of your finger to cover the
object you are looking at.
5. While keeping your right eye fixed on the object, slowly move your
arm to the right and at some point the tip of your finger should
disappear in your peripheral vision.

Blind spot
The area where the optic nerve and blood vessels
connect to the retina
Why do we not always see a missing (blind) spot in our
vision?

Now you try!

http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/eye_drag.htm
http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/eye_function_drag
.htm

8. Light rays are first refracted by the

________________________________________.
9. Surrounding the cornea is an opaque white tissue called the
_____________________.
10. Light enters the eye through an opening in the centre called the
__________________________________________.

11. The _____________________________ is the coloured

circle of muscle surrounding the pupil. It controls the
amount of light entering the eye.
12. Light then passes through the flexible, convex
__________________________________ which can change its
shape.

13. Once light is refracted by the lens, it is focussed on

the _________________________ at the back of the eye,
where an image is formed.
14. Light-sensitive cells detect the image and an electric
message is sent to the brain through the
___________________________________________.

Optical Illusions!

Which red dot is larger?....

Are the rollers moving?

Wavy or
straight?

How many colors do you see?

The lines are parallel

See anything at the corners?

How many legs does the elephant

have?

Eyes closed?
Keep looking

Myopia (nearsightedness)
Can see things that are close to you clearly

Hyperopia (farsightedness)
Can see things that are far away from you clearly

 Astigmatism Deformation of the cornea so that it is

not properly curved (usually it is round)
Presbyopia As one ages the ability for the lens and
cornea to change shape easily is slowly lost making
focusing more difficult.

Summary
The eye is made up of many parts that allow for us to see
and each part has its own function
Lens, iris, cornea, sclera, pupil, retina, optic nerve

Tricks can be played on our eyes (optical illusions)

Different types of sight problems can be solved by different
types of lenses
NEXT CLASS: You will be working in groups of 4 for the
dissection and can just observe. If you feel you will be
unable to be in the class please let me know today.