11/4/2018 Eye Globe Anatomy: Overview, Extraocular Structures, Intraocular Structures 

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Eye Globe Anatomy 

Updated: Nov 09, 2017 Author: Hon​Vu Q Duong, MD; Chief Editor: Thomas R Gest, PhD 
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OVERVIEW 
Overview 
For  the  purpose  of  this  article  on  eye  globe  anatomy,  the  eye  will  be  divided  into  2  sections: 
extraocular  (ie,  structures  outside  of  the  globe)  and  the  ocular  (ie,  the  globe  and  intraocular 
structures). 
Throughout the years, in the absence of ancillary or diagnostic tools, many descriptive phrases, 
clichés, or analogies have been used to describe the eye, such as "the eye is the window to the 
soul," the "eye works like a camera," and "the eye is the only structure that allows us to 
physically see blood vessels and nerve fibers." We use our eyes daily and in almost every 
activity we perform (eg, reading, driving, watching). At the foundation, the eye is a sensory 
organ that detects specifically photons. 
Photons within the visible spectrum (ie, light) enters the eye first by passing through the cornea, 
a clear, dome​shaped structure at the anterior post portion of the globe. Light passing through the 
cornea is converged (bent) where it passes through the anterior chamber and the pupil, a circular 
opening regulating the amount of light entering the eye. Light is further converged by the 
crystalline lens located posterior to the iris. 
Light continues through the vitreous humor and the light converges on the retina, specifically the 
fovea centralis of the macula. Within the layers of the retina, photons trigger a series of electrical 
and chemical reactions, ultimately sending electrical signals by way of the optic nerve, along 
with visual pathway to the occipital cortex. Within the occipital cortices, these electrical signals 
are processed and interpreted, (ie, "seen") by the brain as a visual image. 
[1] 

The image below depicts a sagittal section of the eye. 

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1923010​overview 1/2 
 
11/4/2018 Eye Globe Anatomy: Overview, Extraocular Structures, Intraocular Structures 
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1923010​overview 2/2 

Eye, sagittal section. 

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