Optics and Vision

Structure and Function of the Human Eye

• The lens in the human eye changes shape to focus on objects at varying distances, allowing for clear vision.
• The human eye is considered the most significant sense organ because it can detect an enormous range of electromagnetic radiation, providing us with a remarkable amount of information about the world.

How Light Enters the Human Eye

• When light enters the human eye, it passes through the cornea, pupil, and lens, and is then focused onto the retina.
• The light is refracted, or bent, as it passes through the lens, allowing it to focus on the retina.

Image Formation in the Human Eye

• Similar to a camera, an image is formed in the human eye when light is focused onto the retina, creating an inverted image.
• The retina sends this image to the brain, where it is interpreted and perceived as a visual representation of the world.

The Role of the Retina

• The retina is the innermost layer of the eye, containing specialized cells called photoreceptors (rods and cones) that convert light into electrical signals.
• These signals are transmitted to the optic nerve, which carries them to the brain, where they are interpreted as visual information.