11/16/2020 Physics Tutorial: Refraction and the Ray Model of Light

The Wonder of Accommodation

The Anatomy of the Eye
Image Formation and Detection
The Wonder of Accommodation
Farsightedness and its Correction
Nearsightedness and its Correction

While the entire surface of the retina contains nerve cells, there is a small portion with a diameter
of approximately 0.25 mm where the concentration of cones is greatest. This region, known as
the fovea centralis, is the optimal location for the formation of the image. The eye typically
rotates in its socket in order to focus images of objects at this location. The distance from the
outer surface of the cornea (where the light undergoes most of its refraction) to the central portion
of the fovea on the retina is approximately 2.4 cm. Light entering the cornea must produce an
image with a distance of 2.4 cm from its outer edge. Unlike a camera, which has the ability to
change the distance between the film (the detector) and the lens, the distance between the retina
(the detector) and the cornea (the refractor) is fixed. The image distance is unchangeable.
Subsequently, the eye must be able to alter the focal length in order to focus images of both
nearby and far away objects upon the retinal surface. As the object distance changes, the focal
length must be changed in order to keep the image distance constant.

Accommodation
The ability of the eye to adjust its focal length is known
as accommodation. Since a nearby object (small dobject) is
typically focused at a further distance (large dimage), the eye
accommodates by assuming a lens shape that has a shorter focal
length. This reduction in focal length will cause more refraction of
light and serve to bring the image back closer to the cornea/lens
system and upon the retinal surface. So for nearby objects, the ciliary muscles contract and
squeeze the lens into a more convex shape. This increase in the curvature of the lens corresponds
to a shorter focal length. On the other hand, a distant object (large dobject) is typically focused at a
closer distance (small dimage). The eye accommodates by assuming a lens shape that has a longer
focal length. So for distant objects the ciliary muscles relax and the lens returns to a flatter shape.
This decrease in the curvature of the lens corresponds to a longer focal length. The data table
below demonstrates how a changing focal length would be required to maintain a constant image
distance of 1.80 cm.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-6/The-Wonder-of-Accommodation 1/1