How the Eye Works

The inner workings of the human eye are complex, but at the same time, fascinating. The eye is easy to understand, if you think of it as a camera. When you take a picture, the lens in the front of the camera allows light through, and focuses that light on the film. When the light hits the film, a picture is taken. The eye works in much the same way. In a healthy eye, the lens is clear, and allows light to pass through. Light is focused by the cornea and lens, onto a thin layer of tissue called the retina. The retina works like the film in a camera. When light hits the retina, tiny cells collect the light signals, and convert them into electrical signals, which are then sent through the optic nerve, and to the brain, where they are processed into the images we see.