H.S.

WEEK 21
Sense organs
Sense organs contain specialised receptor cells that detect changes the
environment,i.e.stimuli.The Cells Turn these stimuli into electrical impulses which travel
along sensory neurons to the CNS.The Cerebrum Of The brain then interprets these
messages as sensations of seeing, hearing, smelling,tasting and touching.
The eye
The eye detects light that has been reflected from an object and converts it into nerve
impulses. The Impulses are transmitted along the optic nerve to the brain, which translates
them into a precise picture of the object. The eyes are situated in bony sockets of the skull
called orbits and have muscles attached to move them. The orbits protect the back of each
eye from damage, and the eyelids and eyelashes protect the front from foreign particles.
Tears, produced by tear glands above each eye, keep the eyes moist, wash away foreign
particles and contain an enzyme that destroys microorganisms
Image formation
In order to see, light rays from an object must be refracted (bent) as they enter the eye so
that they form a clear image of the object on the receptor cells of the retina. Being convex
in shape, both the cornea and the lens refract the light rays.
Detection of light intensity and colour by the eye

The retina is composed of two types of specialised light-sensitive cells photoreceptors:•

Rods function in low light intensities. They are responsible for detecting the brightness of
light and are located around the sides of the retina. Images falling on the rods are seen in
shades of black and white only. • Cones function in high light intensities. They are
responsible for detecting colour and fine detail, and are mainly located around the back of
the retina. The fovea is composed entirely of cones which are packed closely together.
There Are three types which detect either the red, green or blue wavelengths of light
Focusing light onto the retina– accommodation By changing shape, the lens makes fine adjustments to focus the
light rays onto the retina. Changing The shape of the lens to focus light coming from different distances onto the
retina is called accommodation and it is brought about by the ciliary muscles in the ciliary body.
Sight defects and their corrections
short-sightedness (myopia) A person with short sight
can see near objects clearly, but distant objects are
out of focus. Light rays from near objects focus on
the retina; light rays from distant objects focusin
front of the retina. Itis caused by the eyeball being
too long from front to back or the lens being too
curved (thick). It is corrected by wearing diverging
(concave) lenses as spectacles or contact lenses.
Long-sightedness (hypermetropia) A person with
long sight can see distant objects clearly, but near
objects are out of focus. Light Rays from distant
objects focus on the retina; light rays from near
objects focus behind the retina. It is caused by the
eyeball being too short from front to back or the lens
being too flat (thin). It is corrected by wearing
converging (convex) lenses as spectacles or contact
lenses.
The endocrine system
The endocrine system is composed of endocrine glands or ductless glands which secrete
hormones directly into the blood.