THE STRUCTURE OF THE

HUMAN EYE

By- Harshita Sharma

Xl-C
 INTRODUCTION

• HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO POSSESS THE SENSE OF SIGHT! WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH
OUR EYES. EYES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE SENSE ORGANS. AN OBJECT CAN BE
SEEN BY US IF LIGHT FROM IT REACHES OUR EYES. THE HUMAN EYE IS ALMOST SPHERICAL IN
SHAPE WITH A SLIGHT BULGE IN THE FRONT. ITS FUNCTION IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE
CAMERA. IT IS ENCLOSED IN A SPHERICAL EYEBALL. NOW LET US SEE WHAT THE HUMAN EYE IS
MADE UP OF.
 SOME IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF EYES
• SCLERA

• CORNEA

• CHOROID

• RETINA

• LENS

• AQUEOUS CHAMBER AND VITREOUS CHAMBER

• AQUEOUS HUMOR AND VITREOUS HUMOR

• CILIARY MUSCLES

• IRIS

• YELLOW SPOT

• OPTIC NERVE
THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN EYE
• SCLERA: THE OUTER COVERING OF THE EYE IS A LAYER WHICH IS TOUGH, WHITISH,
OPAQUE SHEET OF TISSUES CALLED THE SCLERA.
• CORNEA: THE PART OF THE SCLERA IN FRONT OF BULGING PARTY OF THE EYE IS
TRANSPARENT AND IS CALLED THE CORNEA. IT PROTECTS THE EYE.
• CHOROID: THE MIDDLE LAYER IS KNOWN AS CHOROID WHICH IS RICHLY SUPPLIED WITH
BLOOD VESSELS.
• LENS: THE LENS DIVIDES THE EYE INTO TWO UNEQUAL CHAMBERS, NAMELY AQUEOUS
CHAMBER AND VITREOUS CHAMBER.
sclera cornea

choroid lens
• AQUEOUS CHAMBER: IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE CORNEA AND THE LENS. IT IS SMALLER IN SIZE
AND IS FILLED WITH A WATER-LIKE SUBSTANCE, CALLED AQUEOUS HUMOR.
• VITREOUS CHAMBER: IS LOCATED BETWEEN LENS AND THE RETINA. IT IS FILLED WITH JELLY LIKE
PROTEIN, CALLED VITREOUS HUMOR. THESE FLUIDS HELP IN HOLDING THE LENS AT ITS
APPROPRIATE PLACE AND IN PROPER SHAPE.
ACCOMMODATION: A PROCESS THROUGH WHICH THE LENS CHANGES ITS SHAPE IN ORDER TO
FOCUS THE OBJECTS AT VARYING DISTANCES
AQUEOUS CHAMBER AND VITREOUS
CHAMBER
• CILIARY MUSCLES: THE ACCOMMODATION IS REGULATED BY CILIARY MUSCLES, WHICH
ARE ATTACHED TO THE LENS.
• IRIS: THE MECHANISM TO CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT ENTERING INTO IT IS DONE BY
IRIS. ITS CONTROLS THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT ENTERING THE EYE BY REGULATING PUPIL
DILATION. IN DIM LIGHT THE PUPIL DILATES ; IN BRIGHT LIGHT IT CONTRACTS.
Ciliary Iris
muscles
• RETINA: IT IS THE INNER MOST LAYER OF AN EYE. IT IS MADE UP OF FIVE TYPES OF
PHOTOSENSITIVE CELLS AMONG WHICH RODS AND CONES ARE MOST IMPORTANT
• RODS: THEY ARE RECEPTORS OF SCOTOPIC VISION (NIGHT VISION). THE OPERATE AT LOW
INTENSITIES OF LIGHT, AND LEAD TO ACHROMATIC (COLOURLESS) VISION.
• CONES: THEY ARE THE RECEPTORS FOR PHOTOPIC (DAY LIGHT) VISION. THEY LEAD TO HIGH
LEVELS OF ILLUMINATION, AND LEAD TO CHROMATIC (COLOUR) VISIONS.
EACH EYE CONTAINS ABOUT 100 MILLION RODS AND ABOUT 7 MILLION CONES.
Retina : rods
and cones
• YELLOW SPOT: THE CONES ARE HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE
RETINA SURROUNDING THE FOVEA, WHICH IS A SMALL CIRCULAR REGION OF THE SIZE OF THE
PEA AND THUS ALSO KNOWS AS YELLOW SPOT. THE IMAGE OF AN OBJECT IS FOCUSSED
HERE AND IS THE SHARPEST.
• OPTIC NERVE: THE RETINA ALSO CONTAINS A BUNDLE OF AXONS OF A CELL CALLED
GANGLTON CELL THAT FORMS THE OPTIC NERVE WHICH LEADS TO THE BRAIN
Fovea and optic nerve
Thank you