Eye Terms

BASIC OCULAR ANATOMY

If you are interested this section deals with some basic optical knowledge. This is designed to be a demystifying guide rather than a medical dictionary so the terminology is rather informal!

STRUCTURE OF THE EYE

The eye is basically just a camera, and our visual perception is given by two working in tandem. Why two? Simply for ~ depth perception ~ greater field of view ~ and safety in numbers (it’s handy to have a spare if one packs up!)

Cornea ~ The camera lens

This is the clear membrane at the front of the eye.

Sclera ~ The camera body

This is the white area of the eye. It is tough and strong to help protect the eye.

Iris ~ The aperture closing mechanism

This is the coloured area of the eye. It helps control the amount of light entering the eye.

Pupil ~ The “stop” size or aperture

This is the black hole in the iris which allows light to enter the eye

Lens ~ The “auto-focus” system

This lies behind the cornea & Iris, and plays a major role in focusing light onto the back of the eye.

Ciliary Muscle ~ The motor which drives the “auto-focus”

This is a ring of muscle surrounding the lens. It allows the lens to change shape to focus light.

Retina ~ The film

This is a layer of light sensitive cells and nerve fibres, which are attached to the inner rear surface of the eyeball.

Aqeous & Vitreous humour ~ OK a camera is filled with air, this ones filled with gunk

This is the gelatinous fluid with which the eyeball is filled.

Optic nerve ~ This is akin to the cables connecting a video camera to the editing desk

This is the nerve, which receives and translates information from the eye and sends it to the brain where the retinal "image" is processed.


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