Vision: A Look At All The Moving Parts

Vision is a beautiful thing, thanks to your eyes you are able to see colors and perceive depth. You can focus your vision up close or looks far off into the horizon. All of these functions of the eye happen automatically when you open up your eyes similarly to how your camera can autofocus on your phone.

Your eyes work in conjunction with your brain to process the images you see into one picture. The point of seeing your eye doctor for an eye exam is so that they can be sure each of the individual parts of your eyes are working properly and are healthy.

The parts of your eye your eye doctor is checking are as follows:

• Sclera – What is normally called the “white of the eye” consists of a tough membrane that helps protect the sensitive parts of the eye. It is composed of collagen and elastic fibers.
• Cornea – The surface at the front of the eye that acts as a protective layer for the pupil and iris. Aside from protecting parts of your eye, it focuses incoming light into other areas of the eye. You could certainly draw a comparison between the cornea and a camera lens as it has a similar function. The cornea does not require blood for it to operate properly, and is kept healthy by tears and aqueous humor (a type of eye fluid).
• Pupil – The big dark spot that is Located in the center of your eye that lets all the light into the inner parts of your eye.
• Iris – This is the pretty colored portion of your eye that surrounds your pupil. The iris changes its shape around the pupil to let in as much light as is necessary.
• Anterior chamber – Located behind the cornea, the anterior chamber is a cushioned area filled with aqueous humor. Glaucoma is caused by blockage that is formed in the anterior chamber that prevents fluid from flowing in and out of the eye which creates pressure that can lead to blindness.
• Lens – Positioned deep inside your eye is the lens! Light that comes through the cornea then enters the pupil and hits the curved surface of your lens where it is then focused on the retina in the back of your eye. What happens when someone is suffering from having cataracts is that this inner lens has become clouded. This can be corrected with cataract surgery by removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a clear lens implant.
• Vitreous chamber – Behind the first layer of the human eye is layers of vitreous humor—a gel-like organic compound which gives the eye its shape.
• Retina – This part of your eye translates all the visual information it receives from your eyes into electrical impulses so that your brain can digest them.
• The optic nerve – The optic nerve takes the information from the retina and transmits it to the brain. You would think that there would be some input lag, and you aren’t necessarily wrong, but it is nearly instantaneous.

The eye is an impressive piece of biological engineering with many different moving parts. With such an intricate design, it is easy for something to go wrong, which is why it is important for you to continue scheduling routine eye exams with your doctor. If you haven’t had a routine eye exam yet, be sure to schedule an appointment with us today!