Anatomy of the Eye

The human eye is a very complex organ that reflects light and sends images to the brain, creating vision. See below for descriptions of the many components of the eye.

Ciliary Body

The main functions are accommodation, aqueous humor production, and holding the lens in place.

Posterior Chamber

Part of the eye behind the iris and in front of the lens.

Anterior Chamber

Part of the eye behind the cornea and in front of the iris and lens.

Cornea

The clear part of the eye covering the iris and pupil. It lets light into the eye, permitting vision.

Pupil

The round, dark center of the eye, which opens and closes to regulate the amount of light the retina receives.

Lens

The nearly spherical body in the eye. It is located behind the cornea and focuses light rays onto the retina.

Iris

This is the colored part of your eye surrounding the pupil. It lies between the cornea and the lens, and acts as a diaphragm to widen or narrow the pupil. Thus controlling the amount of light entering the eye.

Zonules

These funcion to hold the lens in place.

Sclera

The outer coat of the eyeball, it forms the visible white of the eye and surrounds the optic nerve at the back of the eye.

Vitreous Body

Part of the eye between the lens and the retina, containing the clear jelly-like substance called vitreious humor.

Superior Rectus M.

The muscle that moves the eye away from the nose.

Inferior Rectus M.

The muscle that moves the eye toward the nose.

Optic Disc

Also known as the "optic nerve head" or "blind spot". It is the point where the optic nerve attaches to the eye. This is the visible portion of the optic nerve during an eye exam.

Retina

The sensory membrane that lines the eye. It receives images formed by the lens and converts them to signals to send through the optic nerve to the brain.

Fovea Centralis

A depression in the retina that contains only cones (not rods), and provides acute eyesight.

Central Retinal Artery

Supplies all of the nerve fibers that form the optic nerve.

Optic Nerve

The nerve that carries electrical impulses from photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina to the visual cortex in the brain.

Central Retinal Vein

The short vein that runs through the optic nerve and drains blood from the capillaries of the retina into the larger veins outside the eye.