Eyes 2 Flashcards
what has the most refracting power in the eye
cornea
how refraction works
Light that strikes cornea is refracted (bent) going from air to solid cornea to fluid aqueous humor in the anterior chamber of the eye because of a change in speed of light rays as they pass through different media.
As light hits fluid in eye, it slows and bends toward the normal or line perpendicular to air-fluid interface.
Eye collects refracted light and focuses it on the retina to form images.
focal distance
the distance from the cornea (refractive surface) to the point where light rays converge at one point (focal point).
more curved on the fovea
less curved on the fovea
the shorter the focal distance
the longer the focal distance
vision under water
When under water, the speed of light rays is the same as in the fluid of the eye. Therefore without the refraction of light by the cornea, it is only bent by the lens and the image is focused behind the retina. Images appear blurry.
Wearing a scuba mask restores the refraction at the air-cornea interface and therefore images are clear.
why can some animals see in and out of water
Relatively flat corneas and spherical lenses but mediocre vision in both air and water – Penguins, Puffins, seals
Strongly curved corneas but also very deformable lenses – Cormorants, Mergansers
Four-eyed fish have eyes divided horizontally, hourglass shaped pupils and two halves of retina are sensitive to slightly different wavelengths of light.
lens accommodation
Changing shape of lens allows extra focusing power (changes focal distance)
The more curved your lens is,
the greater the refracting power (light will bend more with curve)
Far away objects =
Closer objects =
light rays parallel, don’t need as much bending
Light rays coming in from all angles or diverge, need to be bent to hit fovea
When Ciliary muscles contract =
muscles pull toward center of circle, forming a smaller space, less tension on zonule fibers, lens becomes rounder (more curvature, shorter focal length, see close up).
When Ciliary muscles relax =
muscles move toward outside of circle, increasing the open area, pulling on zonule fibers, lens becomes flatter (less curvature, longer focal length, see far away).
pupillary light reflex
Shine light into eyes and pupils constrict due to the contraction of circular muscles in the iris.
Continuously adjusting to different ambient light levels (like aperture on a camera).
direct light reflex
pupil constriction in the eye with light
consensual light reflex
pupil constriction in the eye with no light
If you shine a light in the right eye and there is no reflex in either eye, then what does this mean?
Lesion in optic nerve