Eye Anatomy

 

 

Don’t remember the lessons on eye anatomy from your highschool biology class? That’s OK—we have provided the following eyeball illustration and terms just to give you a refresher course. And we won’t give you a pop quiz afterwards…

 

CORNEA:Transparent front segment of the eye that covers iris, pupil, and anterior chamber, and provides most of an eye's optical power.
 

PUPIL:Variable-sized, circular opening in center of iris; it appears as a black circle and it regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.
 

IRIS:Pigmented tissue lying behind cornea that (1) gives color to the eye, and (2) controls amount of light entering the eye by varying size of black pupillary opening; separates the anterior chamber from the posterior chamber.
 

LENS:Natural lens of eye; transparent intraocular tissue that helps bring rays of light to focus on the retina.
 

RETINA:Part of the eye that converts what we see into electrical impulses sent along the optic nerve for transmission back to the brain. Consists ofmany named layers that include rods and cones.
 

MACULA:Small, specialized central area of the retina responsible for the sharpest central vision.
 

VITREOUS:Transparent, colorless, gelatinous filling; in the rear two-thirds of the interior of the eyeball, between the lens and the retina.
 

OPTIC NERVE:Largest sensory nerve of the eye; carries impulses for sight from retina to brain.
 

SCLERA:The white of the eye; a protective fibrous layer that is the outer covering of the eyeball except for the part that is the cornea.
 

CILIARY BODY:A muscular ring under the surface of the eyeball; helps the eye focus by changing the len’s shape and also produces aqueous humor.
 

CHOROID:The vascular layer between the sclera and the retina; the blood vessels in the choroid help provide oxygen and nutrients to the eye.