The Eye

Parts of the Eye

Cornea
• Slightly flattened to cut down on aberration
• Serves as the first and strongest convex element of the lens
system (power is about 45 diopters)
• Has an index of refraction equal to 1.376 (close to that of
water, thus you can’t see under water because there’s not
enough refraction taking place)

Aqueous Humor
•  = 1.336
• filled with watery liquid, further refracting light
Iris
• diaphragm which serves as the aperture, controlling the
amount of light entering the pupil
• can vary the size of the opening from 2 mm to 8 mm
relative size of the enlargement or contraction is also related
to our emotions.
Lens
• complex layered fibrous mass surrounded by an elastic
membrane
• pliable, hence has a variable focal length
• relatively flat when ciliary muscles are relaxed
• at rest, the power of the lens is about 20 diopters This
increases to 30 D as it accommodates to nearby objects

Vitreous Humor
•  = 1.337
• chamber behind the lens, filled with a transparent gelatinous
substance
Retina
thin layer of light receptor cells, the rods and cones
Rods
• Rod-shaped, predominate at the periphery of the eye
• Unable to distinguish color
• Sensitive to low light intensity (dark adapted vision almost
entirely due to rods)
• Sensitive to blue
Cones
• Performs in bright light giving detailed colored views
• Fairly insensitive at low light intensities
• Stars at night look white
• Females have lower threshold of cone firing -- able to
see colored stars
• Denser at the fovea, and decreases as distance from
fovea increases (color of object disappears if viewed
from the corner of the eye)
• Primates and ground squirrels are the only other
mammals with cones
• Color blindness due to some cones missing or
malfunctioning
Blind spot
• No receptors here
• Point of exit of optic nerves

The brain forms an image about 30 times each second, an

interval that allows motion pictures and TV to give an illusion
of motion by forming images every 1/16, 1/24, or 1/30
second.
 Image on the Retina
Is inverted; it is the brain which straightens things out. Is the
straightening in-born or something learned?
 Focusing Near and Far Objects

Ciliary muscles relaxed, Ciliary muscles contract

Lens is flatter, f is increased Lens bulges, f decreases

The closest point on which the eye can focus is called the
near point. For a normal eye, this is about:
7 cm for a teenager
25 cm for a young adult
100 cm for the middle-aged
 Accommodation

Ability for fine focusing, and for

• Humans, this is done by varying the lens curvature
• Fish, this is done by moving the lens away or toward the
retina
• Mollusks, this is done by controlling and expanding the
whole eye thus altering the relative distance between the
lens and the retina
• Birds, this is done by changing the curvature of the cornea
 Eye Defects

1. Nearsightedness or Myopia
Caused by long eyeballs
Image is focused in front of the
retina
Corrected by using diverging lens
Tend to progress till the age of 15
to 18, after which severity usually
remains constant
2. Farsightedness or Hyperopia

Caused by short eyeballs,

image is formed at the back
of the retina
Corrected by using converging
lens
3. Astigmatism
Due to irregular curvature of cornea
Corrected by cylindrical lenses

4. Presbyopia
Lens hardens with age, range of accommodation decreases
Does not affect distant vision, but near pt of the eye gets
farther away from 4 inches at 20, to about 6 ft or more at
age 60
Corrected by converging lens
 Uncorrected Far Point
Maximum object distance for which the unaided myopic eye can
focus on the retina

The corrective diverging lens should form a virtual image of a

distant object at a point at which the uncorrected eye can bring
it to a focus on the retina
 Uncorrected Near Point

Minimum object distance for which an unaided

hypermetropic eye can focus an image on the retina.

The corrective converging lens forms an image of a nearby

object at point far enough for the uncorrected eye can
focus the image on the retina
 Example
1. What is the focal length of corrective lens for
a myopic person whose uncorrected far point
is 12.5 cm ?
Solution:
The corrective lens forms image of a very far
object at a point 12.5 cm in front of the lens.

1 1 1
   f  12.5 cm
f  12.5
2. A person is unable to focus on objects closer than 2
m from her eye without excessive strain. What is the
focal length of the corrective lens that will allow her
to focus on a reading material held 25 cm in front of
her eye?
Solution:
The corrective lens will form an image of an object
held 25 cm from the eye, at a point 25 cm from the
lens.

1 1 1
   f  28.57 cm
f 25 200
 Exercise
1. A myopic person wears corrective lens of
–4.5 D. what is that person’s uncorrected far
point?
2. A person requires lenses of f=-200 cm in
order to see distant object clearly. What is
the farthest distance at which the object can
be seen clearly by this person without the aid
of spectacles?
3. A nearsighted person has a far point located
only 220 cm from his eyes. Determine the focal
length of contact lenses that will enable him to
see distant objects clearly.

4. A far sighted woman breaks her current

eyeglasses and is using an old pair whose
refractive power is 1.66 diopters. Since these
glasses do not completely correct her vision, she
must hold the newspaper 42 cm in front of her
eyes in order to read it. She wears 2 cm from
her eyes. How far is her near point from her
eyes?