20.4: Focusing of Light in the Eye
Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming visible photons into electrical signals sent along nerve fibers up to your brain for interpretation - ultimately resulting in what is known as sight.
The refractive power of the human eye is its ability to bend light rays as they enter the eye to focus them onto the retina at the back of the eye. This is necessary because light entering the eye is initially divergent, but the images we perceive must be clear and focused. The refractive power of the human eye is measured in diopters (D).
The cornea is the primary refractive surface of the eye, providing approximately two-thirds of the eye's refractive power. The lens of the eye, located behind the iris, provides the remaining one-third of the eye's refractive power.
The lens can change shape, known as accommodation, allowing the eye to focus on objects at different distances. The eye's crystalline lens is located directly behind the iris and pupil and further focuses light onto the retina. Unlike a rigid camera lens, our crystalline lenses are elastic and can change shape depending on one's vision needs for near or far objects.
When looking at an object closer than 20 feet away from you (near vision), your eyes must accommodate by becoming more curved to focus on near objects properly. When looking at an object farther than 20 feet away from you (distant vision), your eyes must become less curved to focus on distant objects properly.
The amount of bend or curve placed upon incoming light rays depends on one's refractive power index: The higher power index means more curvature required of incoming light, and vice versa. People with myopia (nearsightedness) have too much anatomical curvature in their eyes. This causes incoming light to focus too soon before reaching the retina, causing blurry vision when looking at distant objects. Inversely, people with hyperopia (farsightedness) have anatomical curvature that is too slight in their eyes. This causes incoming light rays to not bend enough before reaching their retinas and, as a result, causes blurry vision when looking at nearby objects.
Some other types of refractive errors can occur in the human eye, including:
- Astigmatism occurs when the cornea, the eye's clear front surface, is shaped like a football instead of spherical, causing blurry and distorted vision at any distance.
- Presbyopia is an age-related condition that typically occurs when the eye lens is less flexible, resulting in difficulty focusing on close-up objects.
These refractive errors can be corrected using appropriate glasses or contact lenses or surgery in some extreme cases.
