VisibleBody Human Eye Ebook 2017

The Eye
(We’ll leave the Lord Sauron jokes to you.)

When you look in the mirror, you
only see a very small part of your
eyes. In reality, they are incredibly
complex organs with a pretty big
job: enabling you to see.
Let’s take a look (pun intended)

at the anatomy of the eye!
2
The eye itself is a spherical
sensory organ of the nervous
system, responsible for sight.
Contained within the orbits of

the skull, the eyes are protected
from injury by pads of fat.
Factoid: The word “eye” has a long

history, including Old English “ege”
and Proto-Germanic “*augon.”
Some cognates are Greek “okkos”

and Latin “oculus,” both meaning
“eye” or “sight.”
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3
The eye is comprised of several layers and chambers — more
than we can even show in this little eBook! But here are four
to know.
1. Sclera: The white part of the eye; the sclera is
made up of white fibrous tissue and fine, elastic
1 2
fibers. It maintains the shape and rigidity of the
eyeball.
3 2. Choroid: The choroid lines most of the internal
surface of the sclera. It provides nutrients to the
posterior surface of the retina and helps prevent
reflection in the eyeball.
4 3. Retina: A delicate, nervous tissue membrane,

the retina is the inner layer of the eye. The images
of external objects are received by the retina. Each
retina has about 120 million rods, which allow the
eye to see in dim light, and about 6 million cones,
which detect color.
4. Vitreous body/humor: Forming about four-

fifths of the bulb of the eye, the vitreous body holds
the retina against the choroid, giving the retina a
flat even surface for receiving images.
4
The pupil is a circular opening
in the center of the iris that
allows light to enter the eye. The
pupil constricts to decrease the
amount of entering light, and
Brain dilates to increase the amount
of entering light.
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The iris is the colored part of the eye. Eye color depends on the amount of
melanin in the iris — low amounts of melanin result in blue, moderate amounts
result in green, and large amounts result in brown, hazel, and sometimes black.
A contractile disc, the iris

regulates the amount of light that
flows into the eye by constricting
or expanding the pupil.
Factoid: The iris is named after Iris,

the greek goddess of the rainbow.
The lens is located behind the pupil and iris and is enclosed in
a protective membrane. It focuses images onto the retina to
produce clear vision.
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The ciliary muscles change
the tension of the zonular
fibers, adapting the lens for
near or far vision.
The ciliary processes are folds
that are arranged in a circle on the
internal surface of the ciliary body.
They secrete aqueous humor.
Zonular fibers, or ciliary
zonules, extend from the ciliary
processes and attach to the lens,
holding it in place. Tense or loose
fibers change the shape of the
lens, allowing for long-range or
short-range focus, respectively.
The extraocular muscles are
responsible for eye motion and
movement.
The extraocular muscles include

the superior rectus, inferior
rectus, medial rectus, lateral
rectus, superior oblique, and the
inferior oblique. They originate on
the common tendinous ring.
Factoid: The extraocular muscles

move over 100,000 times a day!
11
The lacrimal apparatus is a group of structures
that produce and drain tears into the eye.
The apparatus consists of the lacrimal

gland (which resembles a serous salivary
gland) and 6 – 12 excretory ducts,
including the lacrimal ducts, lacrimal sac,
and the nasolacrimal duct.
To generate tears, the lacrimal glands

produce a watery solution containing salts,
mucus, and a protective enzyme. When the
eyelid blinks, it spreads the fluid medially
over the anterior of the eyeball.
The eye would be useless if not for the optic nerve, which
is a special sensory nerve that transmits the images on
the retina to the visual cortex in the brain for processing.
Factoid: Alcmaeon of Croton,
an ancient Greek philosopher,
believed the eyes were made of
fire and water, and vision was
what was reflected in their gleam.
14
A universe of anatomical and physiological
visuals and reference texts at your fingertips!
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View a 3D Tour of all the images featured in this eBook!
If you have a mobile version of Human Anatomy Atlas 2021.1 or

later:
1. Click here to view the tour.
If you have a web version of Atlas:

1. Copy this link:
https://apps.visiblebody.com/share/?p=vbha&t=4_32840_637557479837175540_1006914
2. Use the share link button in the app.
3. Paste the link to view the tour.

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The Eye

(We’ll leave the Lord Sauron jokes to you.)

Let’s take a look (pun intended)

Contained within the orbits of

Factoid: The word “eye” has a long

Some cognates are Greek “okkos”

4 3. Retina: A delicate, nervous tissue membrane,

4. Vitreous body/humor: Forming about four-

A contractile disc, the iris

Factoid: The iris is named after Iris,

The extraocular muscles include

Factoid: The extraocular muscles

The apparatus consists of the lacrimal

To generate tears, the lacrimal glands

View a 3D Tour of all the images featured in this eBook!

If you have a mobile version of Human Anatomy Atlas 2021.1 or

If you have a web version of Atlas:

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