Eye anatomy
The makeup of your eyes
Your eyes play a crucial role in almost everything you do. To understand how you are able to see the world around you, it is helpful to understand the anatomy of the human eye.
Your eyes are made up of a number of components. The main ones are
Pupil
The black hole in the middle of your eye that allows light in.
Iris
The coloured part of your eye that controls the amount of light passing through the pupil.
Sclera
The white part of your eye.
Conjunctiva
The thin layer of tissue lining the eyelid and eyeball that protects your eye and keeps it moist.
Cornea
A transparent dome that protects the iris and pupil. Together with the lens, the cornea bends (refracts) light to focus it onto the back of your eye.
Crystalline lens
A transparent disc behind the iris.
Retina
The back of your eye that contains millions of photoreceptors (sensors that convert light into electric signals). These signals are sent along the optic nerve to your brain, where they are processed to create an image.
Macula
A small spot near the middle of the retina that is responsible for central vision.
Vitreous humour
A jelly-like substance that fills the middle of your eye, giving it form and shape.
Optic nerve
The nerve at the back of your eye that carries signals from the retina to the brain.
Aqueous humour
A clear fluid in the space between the iris and the cornea. It maintains eye pressure and gives the front of your eye its rounded shape.
Your vision is the result of complex interaction.
The components of the eye are finely tuned into a delicate system. To find out how these different components work together to enable you to see, go to…