STRUCTURE
AND
FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN
EYE
• The eye is the organ of sight. It is situated
in the orbital cavity and supplied by the
optic nerve (2nd cranial nerve).
• It is almost spherical in shape and about 2.5
cm in diameter. The space between the eye and
the orbital cavity is occupied by adipose
tissue. The bony walls of the orbit and the fat
help to protect the eye from injury.
1. Outer fibrous layer: sclera and cornea.
2. Middle vascular layer or uveal tract:
consisting of the choroid, ciliary body
and iris.
3. Inner nervous tissue layer: retina.
SCLERA (white
part)
SCLERA – a tough white skin (made
of tissue) that covers all of the
eyeball except the cornea.
⚫w
h
i
t
e
s
o
f
supports
eyeball and
provides
attachment
for
muscles
CORNEA
(clear lens in front of eye)
⚫ Transparent covering of the
front of the eye
⚫ Allows for the passage of
light into the eye and
functions as a fixed lens.
Allows for the
passage of light into
the eye and it also
focuses the light
Choroid
chocolate brown in color)
• choroid lines the posterior
five-sixths of the inner
surface of the sclera.
• It is very in
rich vessels blood is
and
chocolate brown in colour.
deep
Functions of choroid
Light enters the eye through the pupil,
stimulates the sensory receptors in the retina
and is then absorbed by the choroid.
IRIS
(colored part)
⚫colored part of
eye
⚫controls light
entering
Parasympathetic
stimulation constricts
the pupil and
sympathetic stimulation
dilates it
controls the amount of
light entering the eye
PUPIL (black hole)
⚫Black hole in iris
⚫Where light enters
Pupil size is
controlled by iris
muscles
The hole where light enters into
the eye
PUPIL
When the eye needs
more light to enter
(when it is dark), the
pupils get larger;
allowing more light to
enter the eye
When the eye needs
less light to enter
(when it is very
bright), pupils
the smaller; allowing
get
less light to enter the
eye
LENS
(lens behind pupil)
⚫lens is a
elastic highly
biconvex circular
body,
lying immediately
behind the pupil
⚫allows us to see
objects near and
far
allows us to see
objects near and
far
RETINA
⚫internal membrane
⚫contains light-receptive
cells (rods and cones)
⚫converts light to
electrical
signals
converts light
waves to electrical
signals
Blood supply to the eye
The eye is supplied with arterial blood
by the ciliary arteries and the central
retinal artery. These are branches of the
ophthalmic artery, one of the branches of
the internal carotid artery.
OPTIC NERVE
⚫Transmits electrical
impulses from retina to the
brain
⚫Creates blind spot
⚫Brain takes inverted image
and flips it so we can see
Transmits electrical
signals from retina to
the brain
BLIND SPOT
• On retina where optic
nerve leads back into the
brain
• No rod or cone cells
• Other eye compensates
for this area
⚫Small spot on the
back of the
retina
⚫Other eye
compensates for
this area
Accesso Structures of Eye
• Eyelids Lacrimal
Upper eyelid caruncle
• Eyelashes {pa pebraj
• Eyebrows
• Lacrimal apparatus
• Extrinsic eye muscles
Lower eyelid
commissure (palpebra)
P6IpebfbI C
fissure o
n
j
u
n
c
li
v
a
Eyebrow
s
These are two arched ridges of the supraorbital
margins of the frontal bone. Numerous hairs
(eyebrows) project obliquely from the surface of
the skin. They protect the eyeball from sweat, dust
and other foreign bodies.
Eyelid
s
The eyelids are two movable folds of tissue
situated above and below the front of each eye. On
their free edges there are short curved hairs, the
eyelashes
Functions of eye lids
The eyelids and eyelashes protect the eye
from injury:-
Reflex closure of the lids occurs when the
conjunctiva or eyelashes are touched, when an object
comes close to the eye or when a bright light shines
into the eye – this is called the corneal reflex
blinking at about 3- to 7-second intervals spreads
tears and oily secretions over the cornea, preventing
drying.
Conjunctiva
This is a fine transparent membrane that
lines the eyelids and the front of the eyeball.
Where it lines the eyelids it consists of highly
vascular columnar epithelium.
Lacrimal apparatus
Each eye this consists of lacrimal gland and its
ducts lacrimal
Lacrimal sac nasolacrimal duct.
The lacrimal glands are exocrine glands situated in
recesses in the frontal bones on the lateral aspect of each
eye just behind the supraorbital margin. Each gland is
approximately the size and shape of an almond, and is
composed of secretory epithelial cells. The glands secrete
tears composed of water, mineral salts, antibodies
(immunoglobulin), and lysozyme, a bactericidal enzyme.
Functions of lacrimal gland
• Washing away irritating materials, e.g. dust, grit
•Bactericidal enzyme lysozyme prevents microbial
infection
• Prevents drying of the conjunctiva.
