2.
HUMAN EYE AND THE COLOURFULWORLD
HUMAN EYE:
The human eye is the most sensitive organ in the human body. It acts like a camera,
enable us to see objects and the colourful world around us. The eye ball is almost spherical in
shape having diameter of about 2.3m.
The various parts of human eye and their functions:
Cornea:
It is a thin transparent membrane through which light enters. It is bulging outwards to form
transparent cornea. Most of the refraction occurs at the outer surface of the cornea.
Iris:
It is a dark muscular structure. It determines the colour of the eye. It controls the amount of
light entering the eye by changing the size of the pupil.
● Aqueous humour: It is fluid which fills the space between cornea and eye lens.
Pupil:
It is a hole in the middle of iris through which light enters the eye. It appears black because
light falling on it goes into the eye and does not comeback. The size of the pupil determines the
amount of light entering into the eye.
i) When our eyes exposed to bright light, the size of the pupil reduces. ie., pupil
contracts and less light enters the eyes.
ii) When eyes exposed to dim light, the size of the pupil increases. ie., pupil
expands and more light enters the eyes.
iii) When we suddenly move to a room with low light, the pupil takes some time to
expand in order to allow more light to enter the eyes. Thus we are not able to
see objects clearly for sometime in a dark room.
Eye lens:
● It is a convex lens made of soft, transparent and flexible jelly like material. It is held in
position by the ciliary muscles.
● The focal length and its converging power of eye lens is not fixed. Its curvature can be
adjusted with the help of ciliary muscles .
Ciliary muscles:
● These are the muscles which are attached to eye les and can modify the shape of eye
lens which leads to the variation in focal lengths.
● When the ciliary muscles are relaxed, the eye lens becomes thin. Its focal length
increases and converging power decrease, when the ciliary muscles contracts, the eye
lens becomes thick. Its focal length decreases and converging power increases.
Retina:
The screen on which the image is formed in the eye is called retina. It is a delicate membrane
having a large number of light sensitive cells called ‘rods’ and ‘cones’ .
● Rods: Rods are the rod-shaped cells present in the retina of an eye which are sensitive
to dim light. It does not provide information about the colour of the object.
● Cones: Cones are the cone-shaped cells present in the retina of an eye which are
sensitive to bright light(or normal light). Cone cells cause the sensation of colour of the
objects in our eye. The cones do not function in dim light.
● Colour blindness: It is said to occur when a person cannot distinguish between
different colours, though his vision otherwise may be normal. This is because retina of
eye of such a person does not possess some specific cone cells.
Vitreous humour:
The space between eye lens and retina is filled with a transparent jelly like substance.
Optical nerve:
These are the nerves which take the image to the brain in the form of electrical signals.
Blind spot:
At the junction of optic nerve and retina in the eye, there are no light sensitive cells due to
which no vision is possible.
Working:
Light rays coming from the object to be seen enter the eye through cornea and fall on the eye
lens through the pupil of the eye. The eye lens being convex, forms a real inverted image of the object
on the retina. The retina has a large number of light sensitive cells. When the image falls on the retina,
the light sensitive cells get activated and generate electrical signals which are sent to the brain via
optic nerve. The brain processes this information, and we perceive objects as they are, ie., without
inversion.
Power of Accommodation:
The ability of an eye to focus the distant objects as well as the nearby objects on the
retina by changing the focal length of its lens is called accommodation.
CILIARY MUSCLES
Relaxed Contract
1. Eye lens become thin 1. Eye lens become thick
2. Curvature decreases 2. Curvature increases
3. Increases the focal length 3. Decreases the focal length
4. Enable us to see distant object clearly 4. Enable us to see nearby object clearly
When the eye is looking at a distant object, the eye is said to be
unaccommodated because it is the relaxed state of the eye.
When eye lens becomes more convex to focus the nearby objects, the eye is
said to be accommodated.
The minimum distance at which an object can be seen clearly by the eye is
called near point or least distinct vision of the eye.
The near point of a normal human eye is at a distance of 25 centimetres from
the eye.
An object is placed at a distance of less than 25 centimetres cannot be seen
clearly because ciliary muscles cannot make the eye lens more thick( contract
only certain limit).
The far point of a normal human eye is at infinity.
The maximum distance at which an object can be seen clearly by the eye is
called far point of the eye.
The range of vision of a normal human eye is from infinity o about 25
centimetres.
Persistence of vision:
▶ The continuance of sensation of eye for some time even after the removal of the object
is called persistence of vision.
▶ The image of any object seen persist on the retina for 116 second even after the
removal object.
Why do we have two eyes?
■ Gives a wider field of view
● A human being has a horizontal field of view of about 150o with one eye open.
● The field of view becomes 180o with two eyes open.
● The animals of prey like rabbit, deer etc., have their two eyes on the opposites
sides of their head so that they can see their enemies(predators) in a very large
area around them.
■ Enables us to judge distance more accurately
● Human beings and all other animal having their eyes at the front of their head
are said to have stereoscopic vision or stereopsis which gives the perception of
depth.
