The Eye and Sight

1. The Eye and Sight Contrast ways in which light rays are bend by concave and convex lenses. Describe how a prism forms a visible spectrum Explain why different objects have different colors Describe how mirrors reflect light (Example: discussing differences in the reflection of light by convex and concave mirrors) Describe the relationship between the structure of the eye and sight Identify types of corrective lenses used to correct different sight problems (Example: convex – farsightedness, concave – nearsightedness)

2. Vision begins when light rays are reflected off an object and enter the eyes through the cornea, the transparent outer covering of the eye. http://www.aoa.org/x6024.xml

3. The cornea bends or refracts the rays that pass through a round hole called the pupil.

4. The iris, or colored portion of the eye that surrounds the pupil, opens and closes.

5. The pupil gets bigger or smaller to regulate the amount of light passing through.

6. The light rays then pass through the lens, which actually changes shape so it can further bend the rays and focus them on the retina at the back of the eye.

7. The retina is a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains millions of tiny light-sensing nerve cells. The images that we see are projected onto the retina upside down.  Our brain quite simply, flips the images over so that we see things upright.

8. The optic nerve transmits information to the brain.

9. The vitreous body gives the eye its shape.

10. What are lenses? Lenses bend light in useful ways. Most devices that control light have one or more lenses in them (some use only mirrors, which can do most of the same things that lenses can do). There are TWO basic simple lens types: Concave and Convex

11. CONVEX or POSITIVE lenses will CONVERGE or FOCUS light and can form an IMAGE.

12. CONCAVE or NEGATIVE lenses will DIVERGE (spread out) light rays

13. Convex lens The correct name for farsightedness is Hyperopia. The shape of your eye does not bend light correctly, resulting in a blurred image. A convex lens is usually used to correct this problem.

14. Concave lens The correct name of nearsightedness is myopia. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is slightly longer than usual from front to back. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface. A concave lens is usually used to correct this problem.