Structure & Function of the Eye

 The eye is a sense organ containing receptor cells that are sensitive to light (rod
cells) and colour (cone cells)

Function of the parts of the eye:

The Blind Spot

 At the point where the optic nerve joins the retina, there are no light-sensitive rod
and cone cells on that part of the retina
 Light falling onto that part of the retina will not result in an image being detected
o the brain 'fills in' from surrounding light so we don't see a black hole where no
light has fallen
 This causes a blind spot, where we cannot detect an object in our peripheral vision
even if it is there

The Pupil Reflex

 This is a reflex action carried out to protect the retina from damage in bright light
and protect us from not seeing objects in dim light
 In dim light the pupil dilates (widens) in order to allow as much light into the eye as
possible
 In bright light the pupil constricts (narrows) in order to prevent too much light
entering the eye and damaging the retina

 In dim light, the pupil dilates (becomes larger) to allow more light to enter the eye to
improve vision. 
 In bright light, the pupil constricts (gets smaller) to allow less light to enter the eye to
protect the retina from damage.

The Pupil Reflex - Antagonistic Muscle Action:

 The pupil reflex is an example of a pair of antagonistic muscle groups acting together
 They work together to regulate the amount of light entering the eye
 The muscles that work antagonistically are the radial muscles and the circular
muscles of the eye
o When one set of muscles contracts, the other relaxes
 The pupil reflex in dim light

The pupil reflex in bright light

The function of the eye in focusing on near and distant objects

 The way the lens brings about fine focusing is called accommodation

 The lens is elastic and its shape can be changed when the suspensory ligaments attached to it
become tight or loose
 The changes are brought about by the contraction or relaxation of the ciliary muscles
 When an object is close up:
o The ciliary muscles contract (the ring of muscle decreases in diameter)
o This causes the suspensory ligaments to loosen
o This stops the suspensory ligaments from pulling on the lens, which allows the lens to
become fatter
o Light is refracted more

Diagram showing the eye when an object is close up

 Diagram showing the eye when an object is far away

Focusing on Distant and Near Objects Table

Rod & Cone Cells: Extended

 There are two types of receptor cells in the retina:

o Rods, which are sensitive to dim light
o Cones, which distinguish between different colours in bright light
 There are 3 types of cone cells which are sensitive to different colours of light (red,
blue and green)
 The fovea is an area on the retina where almost all of the cone cells are found
 Rod cells are found all over the retina, other than the area where the optic nerve attaches to the
retina - there are no light-sensitive cells at all in this area, and so it is known as the blind spot

Exam Tip
Do you ever wonder why your night vision is black and white? It's because the low light
intensity isn't enough to stimulate cone cells, so only rod cells are stimulated. Remember, only
the cone cells can detect colour. 

Also, if you look directly at a dim star at night, it disappears, but reappears if you look slightly to
one side of it. This is because, when looking straight at the star, the light falls on the fovea,
which has more cones so fewer rods, so the low light intensity won't be enough to stimulate the
rods. Looking to the side allows the light to fall away from the fovea, onto more rod cells, so the
start reappears!