Unit 4/5 Pronunciation Focus

Anatomy of the Eye

Text A.
1. Visualize 7. To decipher 13. Conjunctivitis
2. Specialized 8. Pupil 14. Conjunctiva
3. Scenes 9. Iris 15. Opaque
4. Phenomenon 10. Cones
5. Differentiate 11. Prey
6. Blindness 12. Unhygienic

Focus In B.
1

a. Vitreous body h. Bulbar sheath o. Frill

b. Ora serrata i. Macula p. Crystalline
c. Lens nucleus j. Fovea q. Via
d. Ciliary process k. Sclera r. Scattering
e. Conjunctiva l. Choroid s. Blurring
f. Dura mater m. Tightens t. Wavelength
g. Vorticose vein n. Dome-shaped

Vocabulary focus - Text A

1. Enable – a permite; 3. Sight – vedere, privelişte;

2. Blindness - orbire ; ~ unable to see because their eyes are damaged. 4. To decipher – decodare
5. Convert – modificare;

6. To process – analiză, prelucrare, procesare

~ a series of actions which are carried out in order to achieve a particular result; When raw materials or foods are processed, they are prepared in factories
before they are used or sold

7. Prey - pradă
~ a person or thing that becomes the victim of a hostile person, influence, etc

8. Opaque – neclar
~ If an object or substance is opaque, you cannot see through it.

9. To obstruct – a bloca, a împiedica

~ to prevent it from happening properly; to make it difficult to move forward by blocking the path

10. To fail – a rata, a eşua, a nu reuşi

~ unable to do smth or not succeed in doing
2
Focus In B

1. Serrated junction – joncţiune zimţată

2. To drain – a drena
~ A drain is a pipe that carries water away from a place
3. Dome-shaped – forma cupolei

4. Frill - cută
5. To scatter – a dispersa
~ move in different directions; If you scatter things over an area, you throw or drop them so that they spread all over the area.
6. Blurred – înceţoşat
~ (Syn) haze, confusion, fog, obscurity

7. Optic papilla
~ one of certain small protuberances concerned with the senses of touch, taste and smell; (syn.) – projection

8. Dim light – lumină slabă

Unit 4/5 Compulsory Text

Anatomy of the Eye

Reading & Speaking

Text A
The eye represents an organ of vision which
makes you visualize the world around you. The
eyes are two in number and each is placed inside
specialized compartments in the skull.
The human eye is the organ which enables you to
see. The human eye does not only let you view
the scenes and phenomena in your surroundings,
but also enables you to differentiate between
colors. Sometimes, there is a minor defect in the
eye function and the individual cannot make
difference between the red and green color. What
is the name for such a condition? Well, you call it
‘color blindness’.
Eye function renders you the sense of sight. They convert light into electrical signals. Afterwards, the
brain deciphers these electrical signals into images. Properly working healthy eyes are able to perform the
following functions.
Our eyes enable us to see colors. Certain organisms, such as dogs, cannot see colors and, so, their world
is black and white. 3
Eyes help us see near as well as distant objects.

Human Eye Facts – How It Works. These small organs perform a very complex function. The working
mechanism of the eyes consists of the following simple steps: when we see an object, light is reflected off
it into our eyes, the light rays entering our eyes first pass through the pupil. The muscles of iris control
the size of the pupil.
After passing through the pupil, light passes through the transparent lens of the eye. There occurs the
refraction and focusing of the light rays on the retina.
Light sensitive cells, rods and cones, present in the retina convert the light rays into electrical impulses.
It is one of the most amazing facts about eyes of human beings.
The optic nerve transfers these electrical impulses from
the retina to the brain which then processes these signals and
translates them in the form of an image.
Eye Problems. These extremely delicate organs can fall prey
to different eye problems due to allergic factors, unhygienic
conditions and the old age. Below are some of the most
common diseases of eyes.
Conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis has got a common name – the
pink eye disease. It is an inflammation of conjunctiva, the
transparent membrane which covers the sclera. Inflammation of tiny blood vessels found in conjunctiva
makes our eyes appear red.
Cataracts. Cataracts affect the eye lenses. They may occur due to old age or exist as a defect by birth.
Parts of lenses become opaque, blocking the passage of light to the retina, thereby obstructing our vision.
Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease which leads to blindness due to a damage to the optic nerve. When
the optic nerve fails to transmit electric signals to the brain, an individual is unable to see at all.
Focus In B
[A] Human Eye Anatomy / Vocabulary focus

4
 [A] Eye-diagram

1. vitreous body /ˈvɪt.ri.əs ˈbɒdi/ 16. medial rectus muscle

2. ora serrata /ora ser·ra·ta / 17. retinal arteries and veins
3. ciliary muscle / cil·i·ari / 18. optic disc
4. ciliary zonules / cil.i.ari zɔn·јul/ 19. dura mater /dјu·ra mei·tə:/
5. Schlemm's canal /ˈʃlemz/ 20. central retinal artery
6. pupil /pјu·pil/ 21. central retinal vein
7. anterior chamber 22. optic nerve
8. cornea 23. vorticose vein /vor·ti·cos vein/
9. iris /ˈaɪ.rɪs/ 24. bulbar sheath / bᴧl·bar ʃiːθ /
10. lens cortex 25. macula /məek·јu·lə/
11. lens nucleus 26. fovea / fəu·viə/
12. ciliary process 27. sclera
13. conjunctiva 28. choroid /ˈkȯr-ˌȯid/
14. inferior oblique muscle 29. superior rectus muscle
15. inferior rectus muscle 30. retina

1. vitreous body - a transparent jellylike (gelatinous) substance enclosing the vitreous humor and
filling the interior of the eyeball behind the lens.
2. ora serrata - the ora serrata (of the eye) is the serrated junction between the retina and the ciliary
body.
3. ciliary muscle - a circular muscle that relaxes or tightens the zonules to enable the lens to change
shape for focusing.
4. ciliary zonules - ciliary zonule (zonule of zinn) a series of fibers connecting the ciliary body and 5
lens of the eye, holding the lens in place.
5. schlemm's canal - a circular canal in the eye that drains aqueous humor.
6. pupil - the contractile aperture in the center of the iris of the eye; resembles a large black dot, the
circular opening in the centre of the iris through which light passes into the lens of the eye.
the iris controls widening and narrowing (dilation and constriction) of the pupil.
7. anterior chamber - the space in the eye that is behind the cornea and in front of the iris. the anterior
chamber is filled with a watery fluid known as the aqueous humor.
8. cornea - the transparent dome-shaped anterior portion of the outer covering of the eye; it covers the
iris and pupil and is continuous with the sclera. the cornea contains no blood vessels and is
extremely sensitive to pain.
9. iris - muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which in turn controls the amount of
light that enters the eye; it forms the colored portion of the eye.
10. lens cortex - the tissue that surrounds the lens nucleus
- lens: a transparent structure situated behind your pupil. it is enclosed in a thin transparent
capsule and helps to refract incoming light and focus it onto the retina. a cataract is when the
lens becomes cloudy, and a cataract operation involves the replacement of the cloudy lens with
an artificial plastic lens.
11. lens nucleus - the central structure of the lens that is surrounded by the cortex
12. ciliary process - any of about 80 tiny projections on the posterior surface of the iris, forming a frill
around the margin of the crystalline lens of the eye. The processes compose one of the two zones
of the ciliary body of the eye. They secrete nutrient fluids to nourish the lens, cornea, and vitreous
body.
 13. conjunctiva - a transparent lubricating mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and the under
surface of the eyelid
14. inferior oblique muscle - action: turns eye up and outward with lateral rotation.
15. inferior rectus muscle - action: turns eye down and medially.
16. medial rectus muscle - action: turns eye medially.
17. retinal arteries and veins - the arteries are branches of a single central artery, which is a branch of
the ophthalmic artery. the central artery enters at the center of the optic papilla and supplies the inner
layers of the retina. the veins lack muscular coats.
18. optic disc - the point where the optic nerve enters the retina; not sensitive to light. the visible (when
the eye is examined) portion of the optic nerve, also found on the retina. the optic disc identifies the
start of the optic nerve where messages from cone and rod cells leave the eye via nerve fibres to the
optic centre of the brain. this area is also known as the 'blind spot’.
19. dura mater - or dura, is a thick membrane that is the outermost of the three layers of the meninges
that surround the brain and spinal cord.
20. central retinal artery – the central retinal artery (retinal artery) branches off the ophthalmic artery,
running inferior to the optic nerve within its dural sheath to the eyeball.
21. ---
22. optic nerve - the group of nerve fibres (= structures like threads) that pass signals from the retina
at the back of each eye to the brain
23. vorticose vein - a vein formed by branches from the back surface of the eye and the ciliary body;
empties into the ophthalmic veins
24. bulbar sheath (tenon’s capsule) - the fascia bulbi (also known as the capsule of tenon (tenon’s
capsule) and the bulbar sheath) is a thin membrane which envelops the eyeball from the optic nerve to
the limbus, separating it from the orbital fat and forming a socket in which it moves. its inner surface is
smooth, and is separated from the outer surface of the sclera by the periscleral lymph space. 6
25. macula - a small yellowish central area of the retina that is rich in cones and that mediates clear
detailed vision / a yellow spot on the retina at the back of the eye which surrounds the fovea.
26. fovea - a very small hollow in a bone or organ, especially in the macula of the eye, area consisting
of a small depression in the retina containing cones and where vision is most acute. it forms a small
indentation (notch(vshaped cut), cut, dent) at the centre of the macula and is the area with the greatest
concentration of cone cells. when the eye is directed at an object, the part of the image that is focused
on the fovea is the image most accurately registered by the brain.
27. sclera - the whitish fibrous membrane (albuginea) that with the cornea forms the outer covering
and protection of the eyeball
28. choroid - a highly vascular membrane in the eye between the retina and the sclera; a dark
pigmentation minimizes the scattering of light inside the eye, the layer between the retina and the outer
white covering of the eye, that contains blood vessels and pigment (= substance giving colour), it also
contains a pigment that absorbs excess light so preventing blurring of vision.
29. ---
30. retina - the innermost light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is
continuous with the optic nerve. It is composed of light sensitive cells known as rods and cones. The
human eye contains about 125 million rods, which are necessary for seeing in dim light. Cones, on the
other hand, function best in bright light. There are between 6 and 7 million cones in the eye and they
are essential for receiving a sharp accurate image and for distinguishing colours.

- cone cells - are the second type of light sensitive cells in the retina of the eye. The human retina
contains between six and seven million cones; they function best in bright light and are essential for
acute vision (receiving a sharp accurate image).
 Post Reading Activities

1. Continue the idea /Text A

1. The eye represents___________________________________________________________________________.

2. The eye is the organ which enables us_____________________________________, it also lets us
view______________________ and differentiate___________________________________.
3. Eye function________________________________________________________________________.
4.These small organs___________________________________________________________________________.
5.These extremely delicate organs can fall___________________________________________________________.
6. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of______________________________________.
7. Cataracts affect_________________________________________________.
8. Cataracts may occur due to______________________________________.
9. Glaucoma is a disease which leads to_____________________________________________________________.
10. When the optic nerve fails to transmit the electric signals to the____________________, an
individual___________________________________________________________________.

Focus In B
1. The vitreous body is a transparent_____________________________________________.
2. The iris controls________________________________________________________. 7

3. Iris is a muscular diaphragm that _______________________________________________________.

4. Conjunctiva is a transparent ___________________________________________________.
5. The optic nerve is a group of nerve fibers that pass__________________________________________.
6. Cones function best in__________________________________________.

2. Answer the following

1. What eye problems do you know?
2. Which organisms cannot see colors?
3. How many are the eyes in number?
4. Where are eyes placed?
5. What is a pupil?
6. What does the iris control?
7. What shape does the cornea have?
8. Does the cornea have blood vessels?
9. How do we call the group of nerve fibers that pass signals from the retina at the back of each eye?
10. What is sclera?