Running head: ANATOMY 1

Anatomy: Vision

Student’s Name:

Institutional Affiliation:
ANATOMY 2

Anatomy: Vision

Introduction

Vision is a sense responsible for transmitting light in the eyes. The eyes are found in

the orbits, which are located in the skull. The orbits are bony, and they safeguard the eyeballs

and provide support to soft tissues of the eyes. In addition, the eyes have eyelids that protect

them from solid particles which can land on eye surfaces. The eyelids are linked to the

eyeball by a membrane known as the palpebral conjunctiva. On the other hand, the lacrimal

gland is situated at the edge of the nose, and it excretes tears that emerge from the

conjunctiva. This research aims at answering questions that are based on the visual sensory

organ.

What cranial nerve(s) is(are) associated with your chosen special sense?

Vision as a sense of the human body is linked to four cranial nerves: trochlear, nerves,

abducens, nerve, optic, nerve, and oculomotor and nerve. The oculomotor, abducens, and

trochlear are responsible for the movement of the eye. In addition, the oculomotor nerve

manages the raising of the eyelids, rotation of the eye, and dilation of the pupil. The minor

nerves are trochlear, and it assists in the downwards and outward motion of the eyes.

Moreover, the abducens assists in moving the eyes away from the nose (Sonne et al., 2020).

Describe how the anatomy of your chosen special sense organ relates to its physiology

The eye comprises three tissue layers: the fibrous tunic, the vascular tunic, and the

chloride layer. The fibrous tunic is the exterior layer which consists of the white sclera and

the transparent cornea. The sclera is the most significant portion of the eye's exterior, and it is

more visible. On the other hand, the vascular tunic consists of the choroid, iris, and ciliary

body. On the other hand, the choroid layer is also accountable for providing blood to the

eyeball. Together with the ciliary body, the ciliary body is responsible for focusing light on

the back of the eye. The eye also consists of two cavities; the anterior and posterior cavities.
ANATOMY 3

The anterior cavity consists of aqueous humor, while the posterior cavity has the vitreous

humor responsible for nourishing the lens and controlling the eye's pressure. On the other

hand, vitreous humor is responsible for maintaining the spherical shape of the eye, and it also

assists in keeping the retina in position (Lindsay, 2020).

Describe how signal transduction occurs in your chosen special sense organ. Distinguish

how it is different from signal transduction in a somatic peripheral sensory nerve.

The signal transduction associated with vision is phototransduction, where the photons

are transformed into electrical signs. The procedure develops in the retina with the assistance

of light-sensitive cells. Two categories of light-sensitive cells assist in phototransduction,

including rods and cones. When there is no light, the cells are depolarized, and the plasma

membrane is polarized when there is light. The vital biochemical activities comprised in the

procedure are activating opsin by the lights that get into the eye. The phototransduction

process is eradicated when there is inactivation of rhodopsin, phosphodiesterase, and

activation of the guanylate, which results in the reopening of cGMP channels (Arshavsky et

al., 2002).

Describe how sensory stimuli from your chosen special sense can trigger autonomic

activation. Discuss the downstream effects at the organ and organismal levels

The primary role of the sensory receptors is to assist humans in identifying their

surroundings. In this case, stimuli are obtained in different forms and transformed into

electrochemical impulses of the nervous system. This occurs as the stimulation enhances the

ability of the cell membranes of the sensory neuron. Hence, stimulus induces the sensory cell

to yield an activity that transports to the central nervous system. At this point, it is

amalgamated with other sensory data and ends up as a conscious experience of the stimulus.
ANATOMY 4

In addition, the central integration will retort to a motor reaction; in this case, one is visual

perception. It is a unique sense of sight situated on the transduction of light stimuli derived by

the eyes.

The automatic nervous system is linked with the ‘fight-or-flight response’, which

cautions the body to either run away from danger or fight back. Richter and Wright (2013)

argue that the autonomic activation resembles an increase in the activity of the autonomic

nervous system, the physic system for instinctively maintaining the homeostasis body and

controlling the body's reaction.

On the other hand, the role of the hypothalamus is to utilize the information from the

sensory system to drive the pupil reflexes. If an elevated light enhances the retina, the role of

the hypothalamus, in this case, is to activate the reaction of the parasympathetic (OpenStax

Collage, 2012).

Discuss the downstream effects at the organ and organismal levels

In the eye, the obvious impacts of visual input are apparent through the management

of intrinsic muscles of the eye in the ciliary body and the iris that manage accommodation

and pupillary diameter. In addition, ocular vasculature that restocks the retina, iris, choroid,

and ciliary body gets innervation from the parasympathetic postganglionic fibers of the

pterygopalatine ganglion and sympathetic postganglionic fibers of the superior cervical

ganglion. This may impact the intraocular pressure and aqueous humor excretion and

outflow.

Discuss physiological consequences that can occur as a result of homeostatic imbalances

in your chosen special sense organ

The imbalance that develops in the tarsal gland results in cysts in the eye known as a

chalazion. It interferes with the normal activities of the tarsal gland that are accountable for

lubrication and prevents the eyelids from sticking together. In addition, a defect of the
ANATOMY 5

mucosa in the nasal cavity results in the lacrimal gland's damage, leading to watery eyes that

come out as tears. Moreover, imbalance of the homoeostatic in the exterior muscles of the

eyes defects their functioning, leading to focus problems. Furthermore, imbalances may lead

to vascularization in the retina, which causes permanent blindness (Richter and Wright,

2013).

Conclusion

In a nutshell, vision transmits lights to the eye. The eye is mainly made up of three

layers: the fibrous tunic, the vascular tunic, and the inner coat. The eye also has cavities

which include the posterior and the anterior. All these parts of the eye are responsible for

providing vision in humans. A defect of one component can result in eye problems or even

blindness. Hence, proper care of the eye is essential for better vision.
ANATOMY 6

References

Arshavsky, V. Y., Lamb, T. D., & Pugh Jr, E. N. (2002). G proteins and photo

transduction. Annual review of physiology, 64(1), 153-187.

Anatomy & Physiology. Authored by: OpenStax College. Provided by: Rice University.

Located at: https://philschatz.com/anatomy-book/contents/m46844.html

Lindsay, B. (2020). 15.5 vision. Retrieved from

https://open.oregonstate.education/aandp/chapter/15-5-vision/.

Richter M., Wright R.A. (2013) Autonomic Activation. In: Gellman M.D., Turner J.R. (eds)

Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_788.

Sonne, J. Wilfredo, L. (2020). Neuroanatomy, cranial nerve. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470353/