Eyeball

Eyeball, spheroidal structure containing sense receptors for vision, found in

all vertebrates and constructed much like a simple camera. The eyeball houses
the retina—an extremely metabolically active layer of nerve tissue made up of
millions of light receptors (photoreceptors)—and all of the structures needed
to focus light onto it. The sclera, the tough protective outer shell of the eyeball,
is composed of dense fibrous tissue that covers four-fifths of the eyeball and
provides attachments for the muscles that move the eye. The sclera is itself
covered anteriorly by the conjunctiva, a transparent mucous membrane that
prevents the eye from drying out. At the front of the eye, the tear film covers
the transparent cornea, the “window” through which light passes into the eye.
Working in concert with the aqueous humour behind it, the cornea provides
the greatest focusing power of the eye. However, unlike the lens, the shape and
focusing power of the cornea are not adjustable. Other important structures in
the eyeball include the iris and the lens. Much of the eyeball is filled with a
transparent gel-like material, called the vitreous humour, that helps to
maintain the spheroidal shape.