Normal Eye

The inner workings of the human eye are complex, but at the same time, fascinating.

The eye is easy to understand if you think of it as a camera. When you take a picture the lens in the front of the camera allows light through and focuses that light on the film. When the light hits the film, a picture is taken. The eye works in much the same way.

In a healthy eye, the lens is clear and allows light to pass through. Light is focused by the cornea and lens onto a thin layer of tissue called the retina. The retina works like the film in a camera. When light hits the retina, tiny cells collect the light signals and convert them into electrical signals, which are then sent through the optic nerve and to the brain, where they are processed into the images we see.

Anatomy of the Eye

The pupil is the dark centre in the middle of the iris. The pupil’s function is to regulate how much light enters the eye. The pupil’s size is automatically varied to regulate the amount of light entering the eye.

The iris is the coloured portion of your eye and is located behind the cornea and in front of the crystalline lens separating the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye. The iris also helps regulate the amount of light that enters your eye.

The cornea is at the front of the eye and its function is to focus and transmit light onto the retina.

The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of your eye. It senses light and creates signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain transmitting the images we see.

If you have a visual problem, the first thing to determine is whether the problem is caused by a refractive error, or if there is an underlying medical condition.

Most cases of blurred vision are caused by errors of refraction caused by a disturbance in the way light rays focus within the eye.