EYE

MR. MUKESH CARPENTER

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
OBSTETRIC & GYNECOLICAL
NURSING
INTRODUCTION TO EYE

• Eye is the highly sensitive sensory organ responsible for

“vision or sight”.
• It is supplied by the “Optic Nerve” (2nd Cranial Nerve).
• Eye is situated in “Orbital Cavity”.
• Eye is almost “Spherical” in Shape.
• Space b/w eye and orbital cavity is occupied by “Adipose
Tissue”
ANATOMY OF EYE

STRUCTURE OF EYEBALL-
 Eyeball is spherical which is about 2.5cm in diameter.
 Eyeball is shaped like a “Globe of the Earth”.
 It have 2 poles-
1) Anterior Pole
2) Posterior Pole
WALL OF THE EYEBALL

The wall of the eyeball consist of 3 layers of tissues-

1) Outer Supporting Layer/Fibrous Tunic- It

Consist of “Sclera & Cornea”.
2) Middle Vascular Layer/Vascular Tunic- It
consist of Iris, Choroid & Ciliary Body”.
3) Inner Sensory Layer/Nervous Tunic- It
consist of “Retina”
A) Outer Supporting layer/Fibrous Tunic:-

• It is consist of a thick membrane of tough & fibrous

connective tissue.
• It is composed of avascular connective tissue.
• Sclera and cornea are continuous and border of the
sclera & cornea is called Corneal Limbus.
• It is completely encloses the eyeball except the
posterior portion.
• It has 2 different regions- the sclera and the cornea.
1) Sclera:-

• It is an opaque layer of dense connective tissue which

is called white of the eye.
• It is posterior segment which form 5/6th part of the
surface of the outer coat of eye.
• Outer surface of sclera is glistening white and smooth.
• Its anterior part is covered by the conjunctiva by which
it can be seen as white of the eye.
• Sclera is continuous with the cornea at Sclerocorneal
junction or limbus.
• The deep part of sclerocorneal junction contains the
canal of Schlemm or sinus venosus sclerae.
Function of Sclera:-

1) It form the white of the eye and provide shape

to eyeball and protection to inner layer.

2) It also give attachment to extraocular/extrinsic

muscles of the eye.
2) Cornea:-

• It is anterior segment which form 1/6th part of outer

coat of eye.
• It is transparent and avascular part of the eye.
• It consist of collagen, elastic and proteoglycan fibers
and covered by a layer of squamous epithelium.
• The cornea bulges slighltly/covex anteriorly.
• It is well supplied with nerve endings mosty pain
receptors.
Function of Cornea:-

1) It allow the passage of light into the eye and fuction as

a fixed lens.

2) It is responsible for refracting light rays to focus on

retina.
B) Middle Vascular Layer/Vascular Tunic:-

• Middle coat of the eye is also called Uvea.

• It is vascular layer contain many blood vessels.
• It consit of-
1) Choroid
2) Ciliary body
3) Iris
1) Choroid:-

• It form posterior 2/3rd of vascular layer.

• It is thin, highly vascular, pigmented layer.
• Its External surface is attached to the Sclera.
• Its internal surface is attached to the retinal
pigment epithelium.
• It is chocolate brown in colour.
Function of Choroid:-

Light enters the eye through the pupil, stimulate the

sensory receptor in the retina and is then absorbed
by the choroid.
2) Ciliary Body:-

• Ciliary body is the thickened part of uveal tract.

• It is lying just posterior to the corneal limbus.
• It is continuous anteriorly with the iris and posteriorly with
the choroid.
• It is consist of ciliary muscles which are important in
controlling lens shape.
• Near the lens, iyts posterior surface thrown into radiating
folds called ciliary process which contain capiollary that
secrete fluid fills the anterior cavity of eye ball.
• Ciliary zonule or suspensory ligaments extends from ciliary
process to the lens and hold lens in itys upright position in
the eye.
Function of Ciliary Body:-

It suspends the lens and helps it in accommodation

for near vision.
3) Iris:-

• It is a thin muscular layer.

• It is anterior extension of the choroid.
• It is the coloured part of the eye. It contain brown
colour.
• It contsin 2 layers of smooth muscle-
a) Circular muscle of iris (Pupillary
Constrictor)
b) Radial muscle of iris (pupillary dilator)
Pupil:-

• It is an adjustable circular aperture in the centre of the iris.

• It is also called little doll.
• It appears black because most of the lightthat enters the
eye is not refracted outward.
Iris as adjustable diaphragm:-

Iris acting as an adjustable diaphragm because it is able to

regulate the amount of light entering the eye because it
contain the smooth muscles that contract or dilate in an
involuntary reflex in response to the amount of light
available causing the pupil to becomes larger and smaller.
 In distant vision or dim light, the radial muscles contact
and pupil dilates which allow more light to enters the eye.
In close vision or bright light, the Circular muscles
contact and pupil constrict which allow less light enters
the eye.
Lens:-

 It is the adjustable focusing apparatus of the eye.

 It is flexible, highly elastic, transparent, colourless,
avascular, biconvex body.
 It is consist of epithelial cells situated behind the
pupil and the iris.
 It is circular with a diameter of 1cm.
 It is enclose in higly elastic transparent capsule and
held in place by suspensory ligament of the lens.
Parts of Lens:-

1) Lens Epithelium:- Anterior surface of lens consist

of a layer of cuboidal epithelial cells called lens
epithelium.

2) Lens fibres:- Posterior surface of lens consist of

very long columnar epithelial cells called lens
[Link] contain crystallines protein which form
the body of lens.
Function of Lens:-

1) Lens bends light rays refracted by objects in front of

the eye.

2) Lens responsible for accommodation.

C) Inner Sensory Layer/Nervous Tunic:-

• It is also known as Retinal Layer.

• It is thin, light sensitive, extremely delicate layer
which containing a network of specialized nerve
cells.
• It is connected to the brain by optic nerve.
• It is thickest at back and thin out anteriorly.
Parts of retina:-

1) Pigmented retina (Thin Layer):- This layer adjoins

choroid and extendsanteriorly to cover the ciliary
body and posterior surface of the iris.
Functions-
1) It prevents reflection from the back of retina.
2) It remove dead or damaged photoreceptor cells.
3) It store vitamin A needed by photoreceptor cells.
Retina continue………………….

2) Neuroretina/thick Layer:-
 It is also called sensory retina.
 It is connects with the optic nerve.
 It extends anteriorly to the posterior margin of ciliary
[Link] junction is called ora serrata.
 It contains millions of photoreceptor that transduce light
energy .
 It consist of photoreceptors, bipolar cells and ganglion
cells.
Photoreceptor-

These are highly specialized nerve cells present in

the retina of the eye.
There are mainly 2 types of photoreceptors-
1) Rods
2) Cones
Each eye has about 125 millions rods and 7 millions
cones.
1) Cones:-

• Cones responds only to the bright light called

photopic vision.
• Cones are sensitive to colour.
• Cones are mostly present in an area called macula
lutea/yellow spot specially in rod free area in its
center called fovea centralis.
2) Rods:-

• Rods are responds to dim light called scotopic

vision.
• Rods are sensitive to black and white colour.
• Rods are responsible for night vision.
• Rods are mostly present in peripheral retina.
Optic Disc:-

• The portion of the retina where the optic nerve

exist from the eyeball contains neither rods nor
cones, called optic disc.
• It is also known as blind spot because it lack
photoreceptors and not sensitive to light.
• It is 1.5 mm in diameter.
Cavities of Eyeball:-

1) Anterior Segment:-(Aqueous chamber)

It is the space between cornea and lens.
It is divided by the iris into 2 chambers-
a) Anterior chamber- It is the region b/w cornea
and iris.
b) Posterior chamber- It is the region b/w iris and
lens.
Both chambers are filled with aqueous humor.