Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye

The Eye and Vision

Vision Considered by many as the most important special sense Begins with the eye and fully perceived by the brain Eyes Two spherical organs located in bony cavities (orbits) in front of the head Eyeball o Round ball-shaped organ about 2.5 cm long and 2.3 cm in diameter Visual System Eyes and accessories/surrounding structures

External/Accessory Structures
Eyelids Eyebrows Eyelashes Lacrimal gland Superior and anterior lacrimal punctum and canaliculi Lacrimal sac Nasolacrimal duct Nose

Lacrimal Apparatus

Eye Muscle
Intrinsic muscle Iris Ciliary body Innervated by CN III (occulomotor) Extrinsic muscle Superior rectus Inferior rectus Lateral rectus Medial rectus Superior and inferior oblique muscles Superior oblique innervated by CN IV Lateral rectus innervated by CN VI The rest, CN III bony socket which encloses and protects the eye along with the attached muscles, nerves, vessels and glands composed of 7 bones - frontal - sphenoid - ethmoid - lacrimal - zygomatic - maxillary - palatine

Orbit

Internal Parts of the Eye

Anterior Chamber - cornea - anterior chamber - iris - lens - zonules - ciliary body Posterior Chamber - vitreous chamber/body - sclera - choroid - retina - optic nerve

Anterior Chamber

Cornea
dome-shaped window at the front of the eye (where contact lens rests) provides 85% of the light bending (focusing) power of the eye clear, no blood vessels 1mm thick but tough Made of 5 distinct layers: - corneal epithelium (microvillae) - bowmans layer - stroma (substantia propia) type I and V collagen - Descemets membrane - Endothelium Pumps water out of the cornea keeping it transparent Does not regenerate 10% normally lost per decade of life Too much corneal fluid will cause opacity and epithelium may become blistered (bullous keratopathy)

Endothelium

Anterior Chamber
Fluid filled space (aqueous humor) - produced by the ciliary body (located in the posterior chamber) and bathes the whole of the anterior segment provides nourishment and removal of breakdown products to the lens and cornea

Iris
colored structure which rests behind the cornea and in front of the natural lens thin elastic tissue with and opening in the center (pupil), surrounded by a circular muscle called a sphincter the place where the iris meets the cornea is called the angle The front layer of the tissue varies in thickness; the thicker it is, the bluer the eyes appear to be when seen through the clear cornea
The backside is made up of cells containing brown pigment which acts to absorb light as well as prevent its scattering within the eye

Iris Sphincter
Circular (constrictor) muscle at the papillary border - Innervated by the parasympathetic fibers of CN III (Oculomotor) - Contraction decreases circumference of the ring and causes papillary constriction (miosis) Radial (Dilator) muscle fibers - Innervated by sympathetic fibers from the superior cervical ganglion of the neck (mydriasis) Normally clear, the lens sits behind the iris and in front of the virtreous humor Focuses light rays on the back of the eye

Lens

Provides near vision in our youth and which gets gradually stiffer as we age It is the lens that gradually becomes more and more cloudy with age (cataract)

Zonules
The fiber-like processes extending from the ciliary body to the capsule of the lens of the eye Responsible for holding the lens of the eye in its normal position Located just behind the iris Produces the nutrient fluid called aqueous humor Controls focusing of the eye Contraction of the ciliray muscles affects the shape of the lens, thereby changing its focus (accommodation) Contraction of muscles in the ciliray ring narrows the diameter
Ciliary Body Iris through the angle

Ciliary Body

Trabecular Meshwork (normally open 30)

Veins

Posterior Segment Vitreous Chamber

Filled with gel-like structure called the vitreous body, vitreous humor, vitreous gel, or hyaloids However, it is neither a humor nor a gel Composed of mucopolysaccharides and hyaluronic acids Maintain the shape of the eye keeping the retina pressed against the inner surface of the eye Cushion the contents of the eye from shocks such as from running or turning of the head

Sclera
Avascular, white outer protective wall of the eye Extends from the cornea onto the optic nerve where it serves as a sheath up to and through the bony optic canal When seen from the front, it is commonly (but incorrectly) referred to as the white of the eye (conjunctiva)

Choroid
Vascular and pigmented layer situated between the retina and the sclera of the eye Supplies the inner retinal sensory cells with nutrients and oxygen The movement of nutrients into the sensory cells is done by active transfer across cell membranes; thats why vision deteriorates when retina is detached and no longer in contact with the choroids Layer of tissue lining the inside of the back of the eye Contains millions of photoreceptor cells which convert light into images Contains ten layers and is responsible for gathering light focused upon it by the cornea and lens It converts the light to electrical signals which it amplifies and sends on to the brain for interpretation and construction of images

Retina

2 General Zones or Areas

1. Central Area Macular area - central part that receives the most sharply formed images - responsible for daylight and color vision Fovea/Fovea Centralis - Very center of the macula where best vision occurs 2. Peripheral Area Provides side vision, night vision and also detects motion The sum total of the extent of the vision both central and peripheral is called the visual field(VF) Optic disc (optic nerve head) a depressed white area in the retina; seen in the optic fundus upon opthalmoscopy

Optic Nerve
Collection of the retinal nerve fiber layer which transmits visual information from the eye to the brain Covered by a very tough, flexible extension of the sclera as far as the optic chiasm The central artery and vein (which supply the internal layers of the retina) run up the center of this nerve Rod and Cone receptors Optic nerves (left and right) Optic chiasm Optic tracts Occipital lobe Choroid, cilirary body, and iris Pigmented and continuous with one another

Sensory Pathway for Vision

Uvea

Physiology of Vision
Light waves from an object (such as a tree) first enter the eye through the cornea The light then progresses through the pupil and crystalline lens Initially, the light waves are bent or converged by the cornea, and then further by the crystalline lens, to a point located immediately behind the back surface of the lens At that point, the image becomes reversed (turned backwards) and inverted (turned upside down) The light continues through the vitreous humor and then, ideally, to a focus on the retina behind the vitreous Within the layers of the retina, light impulses are changed into electrical signals and then sent through the optic nerve, along the visual pathway, to the occipital lobe