OPTHALMIC INSTRUMENTATION

UNIT 2: OPTHALMIC & GEOMETRICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS

NATURE OF LIGHT:

- Light is a transverse electromagnetic ray or wave

- Light is a form of energy
- Light is a form of wave motion
- The way in which light radiates from its source is similar to the way in which ripples
spread outwards across a pond

- Light can be detected by human eye

- Light travels at a speed of 3 x 108 m/s through empty space
- This speed is equivalent to travelling 7 times round the Earth in less than a second!
- Light travels in straight lines

Light Rays:

- The path along which light energy travels is called a ray.

- Line represents the path along which light travels.

- Arrow represents the direction in which light travels
- A bundle of light rays is a beam of light

Light Beams:

- 3 different types of light beams

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Reflection of Light:

Two Natures of Light:

1) Wave Nature of Light

2) Particle Nature of Light
3) Dual Nature of Light

1) Wave Nature of Light:

- As a wave light has

- Wavelength (Distance between waves)
- Frequency (Number of waves passing in one second)
- Speed C=λv
- Energy E= hv
 2) Particle Nature of Light:

- The particle like nature of light is modeled with photons

- A photon means photo + electron
- A photon has no mass & no charge
- It is a carrier of electromagnetic energy & interacts with other particles

Properties of Nature of Light:

Terms used in Reflection Concept:

LAWS OF REFRACTION:

- Also called as Snell’s law.

- Statement: “It states that Incident ray, Refracted ray & normal all lies on the same
plane

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OPTICS OF THE HUMAN EYE:

Parts of the Eye:

Parts of the Eye & their Functions:
REFRACTIVE ERROR:

- The inability of eye in focusing of light (onto the retina) is called as Refractive error or
Refraction error or Refractive anomalies or vision of defect.

Types of Refractive Error or Refractive anomalies:

1) Myopia
2) Hyperopia
3) Presbyopia
4) Astigmatism

1) Myopia or Near Sightedness:

- Myopia is the condition in which person is not able to see distant objects but can see
near objects.

- Thumb of rule for vision: Light enters into the eye and must be focused onto the
retina.
- Here we can see in Normal eye light rays are focused by eye on the retina while in
Myopic eye light rays are focused in front of the retina instead of on the retina by the
eye.

Cause:

- Elongation of the eye ball

- Decrease in the focal length of the eye lens

Solution:

- Use of Concave lens

- Use of Lens
- By surgery
2) Hyperopia or Hypermetropia:

- It is also called as far sightedness.

- Hyperopia is the condition in which person can see distant objects but not able to see
near objects.
-

- Here we can see in normal eye, light is focused on to the retina by eye but in
Hypermetropic eye, light is focused behind the retina instead of on the retina by the
eye.

Cause:

- Shortening of eyeball
- Increase in the focal length of the eye lens
 Solution:

- Use of Convex lens

- Use of lens
- By surgery

3) Presbyopia:

- Presbyopia is an age related condition in which the ability to focus up close becomes
more difficult.
- Generally it occurs after the age of 35
- In presbyopia, person is not able to see near objects.

Cause:

- Presbyopia occurs because of the hardening of eye lens

- For younger people, eye lens is soft & flexible but for aged people eye lens becomes
hard.
- Hence eye lens is not able to focus light rays directly on to the retina.

Solution:

- By using Convex lens

-
4) Astigmatism:

- It is the common optical defect

- The light rays are not brought to a sharp point upon retina
- This defect presents in all eyes.
- When it is moderate, it is known as physiological astigmatism
- When it is well marked, it is considered abnormal

Cause:

- Irregularity of curvature of the lens

Solution:

- Astigmatism is corrected by using cylindrical glass lens having the convexity in the
meridians corresponding to that of lens of the eye having a lesser curvature. i.e. if the
horizontal curvature of lens is less, the person should use cylindrical glass lens with
the convexity in horizontal meridian.

Types of Astigmatism: