The human eye

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InteractiveTouch an eye part to see more information

Pupil It looks like a black dot but it’s actually a gap that lets light pass through to the back of your eye.

Cornea A transparent dome at the front of your eye, the cornea refracts light, helping to direct it along the right path to the retina.

Iris The coloured part of the eye that controls how much light gets in by causing the pupil to dilate or constrict. The iris is part of a larger structure that forms a layer between the retina and sclera.

Retina: Often thought of as the back of the eye, it’s more correctly the innermost layer that the light hits after being inverted by the lens. The retina is jam-packed with light-sensitive cells and nerve cells.

Viterous A transparent jelly that fills the eyeball. As we get older, the consistency of this jelly becomes more liquid and progressively less wobbly.

Lens A transparent lens that changes shape to focus incoming light on the retina.

Sclera Otherwise known as the white of the eye, the sclera is a protective, outer layer made tough by collagen fibres.

Optic nerve A thick bundle of nerve fibres carrying signals between each eye and the brain.