Eye Disorders

Law Topics >  Injuries > Eye Disorders

The eye has many functions that it performs simultaneously, from regulating light, to focusing on objects both near and far, to sending images to the brain; it is an amazing physical structure.

A thin membrane called the conjunctiva covers the sclera, the white outer layer of the eye. The transparent dome on the surface of the eye is called the cornea. It allows light to enter the eye. The cornea also serves two other functions: protecting the front of the eye, and aiding in focusing light on the retina. Light passes through the cornea to the pupil, the black area in the middle of the iris. The iris is the circular, colored area of the eye. The lens of the eye is located behind the iris. The lens is responsible for focusing light onto the retina. The nerve endings in the retina make visual images sharp and then convert the images into electrical impulses. These impulses are then carried to the brain by the optic nerve. Vision is sensed and interpreted in the rear of the brain.