SENSE ORGAN

In Latin sensus- to feel, to perceive

Introduction
• Sense organ - The organ which can receive any stimulus and

consist of sensory cells which are connected with nerve endings

to convey the message to brain or spinal cord.

• Major sense organ in the vertebrate are:

• Eyes- organ of sight or vision

• Ears- organ of hearing and balance

• Nose- organ of smell

• Tongue- organ of taste

• Skin- organ of touch

 EYES
• Is a photoreceptor organ / organ of sight.

• Lying in the orbit of skull.

• Is a hallow spherical structure which shows binocular vision, measures 2.5 cm in diameter and

weigh about 7 grams.

• Is protected by eye brows, eyelids, eyelashes , eye glands and adipose tissue around the eye.

• Eyebrows : consist layers of hairs forming arches on the bony ridge just above the eye which

protect from dust particles, sweat coming to eye and also shade the eye from light.

• Eyelid: Are three eyelids: upper eyelid, lower eyelid and nictitating membrane(vestigial in human)

near canthus.

• Upper and lower eyelid are movable transverse folds of skin.

• Blinking eyelids helps to spread of oil and tears for less friction in eye.

• Free borders of eyelids are provided by eyelashes.

• Eyelashes : short and curved hairs which protect from dust particles, sweat, sunlight and also

increases the beauty of eye.

Eye glands:
• MEIOBOMIAN GLANDS:

• Modified sebaceous glands present along the edges of eyelids.

• Secretes oily substance to lubricate eyelid and eyelashes & to reduce friction.

• LACRIMAL GLANDS:

• Modified sweat glands present superior, lateral surface of eyeball.

• Secretes watery alkaline lachrymal secretion or tears which are passed through
Lachrymal duct into eye.

• Tears are collected into the lacrimal sac through superior canaliculi and Inferior
canaliculi and again connects to the nasal cavity by the nasolacrimal duct.

• Lachrymal secretion or tears has a various functions such as:

• Keeps the eye moist and clean by washing away the dust particles, microbes etc.

• have lysozymes (bactericidal property ) to kill the microbes (bacteria, viruses etc.)

• nourish the cornea.

• GLANDS OF ZEIS:

• Modified sebaceous gland which are associate with the hair follicles of eyelashes.

• GLANDS OF MOLL:

• Modified sweat gland at the edges of the eyelid at the base of hair follicles
Internal structure of eye
• Eye is made up of three concentric layers :

• Outer layer - Sclerotic layer:

• sclera, cornea and conjunctiva

• Middle layer - choroid layer :

• choroid, ciliary body and iris

• Inner layer - retina:

• nervous tissue and receptor cells.
Sclerotic layer
• outer fibrous coat of eye ball formed of three parts:

• sclera, cornea and conjunctiva

• Sclera:

• outermost part made up of white collagen fibrous tissue.

• An avascular part which occupies most part of eyeball (5/6 part).

• Tough, opaque and protective in function and also maintains the shape of eyeball .

• Cornea

• outer exposed visible transparent, biconvex (slightly bulged in front) part of sclera which occupies 1/6 part of
the eyeball.
• avascular

• Function : to pass the light to eye.

• Conjunctiva:

• Is the thin transparent layer that covers cornea and inner layer of both eyelids and exposed part of sclera.

• Formed of stratified squamous epithelium.

• Function: protection from foreign particles.

• At the junction of sclera and cornea there is a canal of schlemm which drained off the aqueous humour into
blood vessels..
Choroid layer
• The middle muscular and vascular layer of eye, formed of three parts:
• choroid, ciliary body and iris
• Choroid
• Situated just below the sclera.
• Thick, highly vascular and pigmented layer. ( chocolate brown in color due to high concentration of melanin pigment.)
• Function is to absorb the excessive light , prevent the internal reflection and prevents the blurring of vision.
• Also provide the nutrition due to highly vascular.
• Ciliary body or part:
• Frontal part of the choroid situated at the junction of sclera and cornea
• is modified into a mass containing two sets of ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments that supports and holds the
lens.
• Ciliary bodies consist of secretory cells which secrete watery fluid that fill the space between lens and cornea as
anterior and posterior chamber of eye which is divided by iris.
• Iris:

• Is also the modified frontal part of choroid that forms the bridge like structure in between cornea and lens .

• Opaque, colored circular visible part (diaphragm) of the eye having central circular aperture called as pupil (permits the
light to enter into eye).
• Consists of two types of smooth muscles:

• circular and radial muscle to controls the size

of pupil according to the intensity of light.

• Higher the intensity of light( bright light)- smaller the aperture

• Lesser the intensity of light (dim light)- larger the aperture

• Color of the iris gives the color of eye such as blue, green, yellow, black, grey, brown etc.

• Function : to provide pathway to enter the light and provide nutrition and oxygen to various tissues especially retina.
Retina
• Innermost and highly sensitive layer of eyeball.

• Composed of pigment cell, photosensitive elements (bipolar neuron and ganglionic

layer) and photo receptor cells
( rods and cones).
• rod and cone cells are connected together by the bipolar neurons and ganglionic
layer form a nerve fibre.
• Rod cells:

• Are rod like (straight) structure.

• About 10- 20 million rods cells are found in retina.

• Contains a pigment rhodopsin (visual purple) which is made up of two chemicals:

opsin (protein) and retinal (derivative of vitamin A)
• function in dim light( low light intensity) and form black and white image.

• Cone cells:

• Are cone like structure.

• About 7 million cone cells are found in retina.

• Contains a pigment iodopsin (visual violet) which are of three forms i.e. red green
and blue, each responding to light of different wave length.
• function in bright light (high light intensity) and form coloured image (differentiate
color).
• Retina has a combination of both rod and cone
cells but there is a small depression on the
retinal wall known as fovea centralis/ yellow
spot/ macula lutea which contains only cone
cells.
• This area is the most sensitive to light and forms
the magnified, sharpest or acute vision.
• The optic nerve fibres passes out from the blind
spot which doesn't contain any rods and cones
i.e. least sensitive to light and thus no image is
formed.
• Lens:
• Is a large, flexible, transparent, biconvex and
fibrous crystalline situated behind the iris.
• Suspensory ligament of yellow elastic fiber helps
in suspension and cilliary muscle helps to
change the thickness of lens.
• It focuses the image of object on the retina.
• Lens divide the eye ball into two chamber:
• Aqueous chamber:
• Lens divide the eye ball into two chamber:
• Aqueous chamber:
• Small chamber present between lens and cornea.
• Filled with watery fluid containing amino acids, glucose, ascorbic acid and
respiratory gases called as aqueous humor secreted by cilliary body.
• It nourish the lens and cornea, supports lens and refracts light rays to focus
on retina.
• Vitreous chamber:
• Large chamber between lens and retina.
• Filled with gelatinous or jelly like vitreous
humour (whartson’s jelly) containing
99% water, salts hyaluronic acids and
some mucoproteins.
• Supports retina and lens, refracts light
and give shape to eye ball.
Working mechanism of eye
• Conjunctiva, Cornea, aqueous humor, lens and vitreous humor combine to form dioptric apparatus
which refract the light and helps to focus the image of an object on the retina.
• The amount of light passing through pupil is controlled by circular and radial muscle fibres of iris.

• Contraction of circular fibres constrict the pupil where as contraction of radial muscle fibres widens the
pupil. i.e. brighter the intensity narrower the aperture and dimmer the intensity of light larger the
aperture of pupil.
• When light falls on the cornea, iris control the amount of light pass through the pupil and lens adjust for
sharp focusing and image is formed in the retina.
• Image formed in a retina by the photoreceptor cells- rods and cones.
• Image formed is real, smaller and inverted, this stimulus is taken to the brain to the occipital lobe of
cerebrum where it is translated and interpreted into the erect and actual size of image.
MUSCLES OF EYE
• Movements of eyeball in eye orbit is controlled by six muscles which are present outside of the eyeball, these are of two
types:
1. Rectus or straight muscle:
• Superior rectus

• Inferior rectus

• External or lateral rectus

• Internal or medial rectus

2. Oblique muscle:
• Superior oblique muscles

• Inferior oblique muscles

• Movements of the eyeball in the eye orbit is controlled by six muscles which is controlled by three cranial nerves: III. IV
and IX
• 1. Rectus or straight muscle:
• Superior rectus – contracts: eyeball moves up
• Inferior rectus – contracts: eyeball moves down
• External or lateral rectus – contracts: eyeball moves side wise
• Internal or medial rectus – contracts: eyeball moves side wise
2. Oblique muscle: ( rotation of eye)
• Superior oblique muscles-
Contracts eyeball moves downwards
and inwards.
• Inferior oblique muscles-
Contracts eyeball moves upwards
and outwards.
Accommodation or focusing
• The ability to adjustment of the eye to focus the light on retina coming from
the object of various distance. (ability of lenses to adjust the focal length.)
• This adaptation is made by the lens with the help of eye muscles (cilliary
muscle and suspensory ligaments), that enables a person to see objects
distinctly at different distances.
• At rest, the lens remains flattened by the help of suspensory ligaments and is
able to focus distinct object.
• When the object is places far to the eye, the cilliary muscles relaxes making
the lens less convex(thin) which increases the focal length and image is
focused on retina.
• When the object is places closer to the eye, the cilliary muscles contract
making the lens more convex which reduces the focal length and image is
focused on retina.
Defects of eye
• There are many types of disorders in eye. some common disorders are:
1.Conjunctivitis: also called as pink eye. It is inflammation of conjunctiva. Treated by antibiotics
like soframycin, chloramphenicol.
2. Myopia or short sightedness:
• Can see near objects.
• The defect in which person cannot see the far distance image, as the image of distinct object
is focused in front of the retina causing the blurred vision.
• It can be corrected by the concave lens (- power).
3. Hypermetropia or far sightedness:
• Can see distinct object.
• The defect in which person cannot see the near distance image, as the image of object is
focused behind the retina causing the blurred vision.
• It can be corrected by the convex lens (+ power).
4. Presbyopia or old sightedness or far sightedness:
• Similar to hypermetropia caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye.
• Defect increases along with the age of 45 and onwards.
• The defect in which person feel difficulty in accommodating the eye to near vision while the
distant vision is not impaired (weaken).
• Corrected by using bifocal length.
5. Cataract: Motibindu
• Opacity developed in the crystalline lens or its capsule.
• Result in blurred vision.
• Opacity disturbs the entry of light through it.
• Can be congenital( by birth), senile (old age) and diabetic.
• Defect is corrected by the surgical removal of opaque lens
and insertion of artificial lens. (replacement of lens)
6. Glaucoma: jalbindu
• Due to Blockage of canals of schlemm which drains the
humors out of eye, fluids builds up and increased intraocular
pressure.
• High pressure damages the sensitive optic nerve and result
in vision loss.
• Can be treated putting eye drops at regular interval to
improve the outflow of aqueous humor from eye in early
stage.
• By intake of medicines which reduce the production of
aqueous humor .
• By performing operation to drain out the aqueous humor.
7. Astigmatism:
• Defect of eye in which cornea and lens is placed unequally in
different planes so that light rays in one plane are focused at
points on the retina and the vision becomes blurred.
• Defect is corrected by wearing a cylindrical lens.
8. Color blindness:
• Inability of eye to recognize one or more of primary
seven colors.
• Caused by the deformity of the cone cells.
• Corrected by intake of certain medicines and the glasses.
9. Diplopia double vision:
• The condition in which a single object is perceived as two
object.
• Corrected by minor operation
10. Nyctalopia ( Night blindness):
• Inability to see on dim light or at night.
• Caused by the dietary deficiency of vitamin A.
• Can be corrected by intake of vitamin A and vitamin rich
fruits, green vegetables, milk and milk products.
• Inflammation of gland of zies- stye.

• Inflammation of meiobomian gland- chalazion.

• Inflammation of lacrimal gland – dacrocystitis.

• Defect on one of any eyeball muscle cause strabismus or

squint.
• Hemianopsia is a loss of vision in half of your visual field
of one eye or both eyes cause due to damage of optic
nerve, optic chaisma or the visual part of brain.