The Human Eye

The Human Eye

 Refractive index of lens

different for each
wavelength (colour)

 Cool colours (blues)

appear closer; warm
colours (reds) further
away

 Agree?
Most people see the red,
Closer than the blue.
Others see the opposite.
How about you?
The Human Eye

 Your eyes are about to get a workout. Have

you stretched your eye muscles yet?
 No? Then do that now!
Are you seeing spots?
Look at the cross for 10 seconds. What do you see?
Are these lines
bent….?
…or straight?
What shapes do you see?
Reading What is wrong with
with this sentence?

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde

Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is
taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll
raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
but the wrod as a wlohe.
Do you see the rabbit or the duck?
Read This Out Loud.
Are You Sure? Read again.
Answer the following questions:
1. Which of the following situations exemplifies the dispersion
property of light?

A. The swaying movement of coin moving under water.

B. The rainbow in the sky after a rain shower.

C. The image of a flower in the mirror.

D. The sparking glow of a diamond ring.

2. What effect does interference of light waves have on the soap
bubbles?

A. They become heavier.

B. They produce different colors at the surface.

C. They become larger.

D. They produce images of objects like a mirror.

3. Which statement /s is are TRUE?

I. The film regulates the amount of light that enters the

camera by changing the size of the aperture.

II. The iris controls the amount of light that enters the
eye by changing the size of the pupil.

A. Only I is true
B. Only II is true
C. Both I and II are true
D. Neither I and II is true
4. If the diaphragm of a camera and the iris of the eye were having the
same function, what function would they have?

A. Block the passage of light.

B. Regulate the amount of light.

C. Form the image of the object.

D. Enlarge the image of an object.

5. What function does the retina of the eye and the film of a camera
have in common?

A. Permit light to enter the eye.

B. Enlarge the image received.

C. Receive the image of an object.

D. Regulate the amount of light that enters the eye.

6. What makes the pupil of the eye similar in function to the aperture of
the camera?

A. It controls the amount of light that enters the eye.

B. It reflects the image of an object.

C. It opens and closes the eye.

D. It allows the passage of light

7.Which of the following describes the image of a clown in front of
a plane mirror who is waving his right hand with a toy?

A. He is waving his left hand .

B. He is waving his right hand.

C. He and the toy appear smaller than the actual size.

D. The toy he is waving appears bigger than its actual size.

8. Which of the descriptions is TRUE of the image of doll as seen in a
convex mirror?

A. Same size but inverted.

B. Smaller and upright.

C. Smaller but inverted.

D. Larger and upright.

9.The image formed by a plane mirror is LATERALLY INVERTED. Which of
the following examples best describes this?

A. When a boy moves toward the mirror, his image will move away
from the mirror.

B. When a boy moves toward the mirror, his image will move at
the side of the mirror.

C. When a girl raises her left hand, her image will also raise its left
hand.

D. When a girl raises her left hand, her image will raise its right
hand.
10. How will the image of the word PEN appear when placed in front
of a plane mirror?

A. C.

B. D.
11. Which of the following diagrams correctly illustrates the path of
a light ray that passes from a material (medium)of higher index of
refraction to a medium of lower index of refraction?

A. C.
Medium 1 Medium 1

Medium 2 Medium 2

B. D.
Medium 1 Medium 1
Medium 2 Medium 2
 12. Which of the diagrams illustrates the correct path of the light ray
shining on the surface of the tank filled with water at an angle?

------------------
------------------

----------------- -----------------

A. C.

------------------
------------------

----------------- -----------------

B. D.
13. Why does the pencil appear broken at the boundary between air
and water as viewed from the side of a glass water?

A. The speed of light in air and in water is not affected when

it passes the glass.

B. The speed of light in air and in water is the same .

C. Light travels slower in air than in water.

D. Light travels faster in air tan in water.

14. A farsighted person can only see clearly and sharply objects that
are distant but not near objects. Where is the image of the near object
that he is seeing formed?

A. Behind the retina.

B. In front of the retina.

C. At the side of the retina.

D. On the surface of the retina.

15.What lens could correct the image formed of a nearsighted
person?

A. Polaroid glasses that eliminate the glare of light.

B. Bifocal glassed with two lenses that ensure clarity if the

image.

C. A diverging or concave lens that spreads the light rays

before they enter the eye.

D. A converging or convex lens that bends the light rays

towards each other a little before they enter the eye.
16. Eleanor can see far objects clearly but hard to see objects at
near distances. What type of eyeglasses can correct her eye?

A. A concave lens that spreads light rays.

B. A convex lens that bend light rays before entering the

eyes.

C. A concave lens that brings the point of focus backward and

on the retina.

D. A convex lens that brings the point of focus forward ad

on the retina
17.Which statement is TRUE about how concave and convex
lenses can be used to correct a person’s eyesight defect?

A. They can be used to minimize the glare of light.

B. They can be used to adjust the size of the object.

C. They can be used to redirect the light rays so that they may
land on the retina.

D. They can be used to increase or decrease the length of the

rays so that they may land on the retina
18. How can convex lenses correct farsightedness?

A. They select the light rays that can enter the eyes.

B. They allow the light rays to spread before entering the eye.

C. They allow the light rays to pass in a straight line before

entering the eyes.

D. They make the light rays bend towards each other before
entering the eyes.
19.Which of the following situations applies the property of total
internal reflection of light?

A. The glitters of a diamond ring.

B. The appearance of a fish under water.

C. The image of an object seen in the mirror.

D. The appearance of rainbow after a rain shower.

20. What makes a fish appear larger when placed in a spherical fish
bowl?

A. Inside the focal point, the image is upright, virtual and

unmagnified.

B. Inside the focal point, the image is real, inverted and magnified.

C. Inside the focal point, the image is virtual, inverted and magnified.

D. Inside the focal point, the image is real, enlarged and

magnified.
Key answer: 1. B
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. C
6. D
7. A
8. B
9. D
10. B
11. B
12. C
13. D
14. A
15. C
16. B
17. C
18. A
19. A
20. d
Light, Reflection, & Mirrors
Facts about Light
 It is a form of Electromagnetic Energy
 It is a part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum and the only
part we can really see
Facts about Light

Light can be:

•REFLECTED
•ABSORBED
•REFRACTED

Light is an electromagnetic wave in that it has wave like properties

which can be influenced by electric and magnetic fields.
The Human Eye
Structure & Function

 IRIS
 coloured part of eye
 controls light entering

 PUPIL
 black hole in iris
 where light enters
Structure & Function
 SCLERA
 whites of the eye
 supports eyeball
 provides attachment
for muscles

 LENS
 converging lens
 allows us to see
objects near and far
Structure & Function
 CORNEA
 transparent bulge over
pupil
 focuses light (refracts)
onto retina

 RETINA
 internal membrane
 contain light-receptive
cells (rods & cones)
 converts light to electrical
signal
Blind Spot

 On retina where optic

nerve leads back into
the brain
 No rod or cone cells
 Other eye compensates
for this area
 Try this test to prove
you have a blind spot…
Close left eye and approach screen while
staring at the letters…watch the dot!
Structure & Function

OPTIC NERVE
 Transmits electrical
impulses from retina to
the brain
 Creates blind spot

 Brain takes inverted

image and flips it so we
can see
Structure & Function
 RODS
 120 million cells
 detect brightness
(black & white)
 for night vision
 CONES
 6 million cells
 detect colour (RGB)
 GANGLION CELLS
 Detect movement and
patterns
 Parts of the eye and the iris
 Iris acts like diaphragm in
camera
 Aperture of iris is called the pupil
 Iris and pupil are alive
 Irises are as different as
fingerprints
 Iris scans can be used for
identification (e.g., airport)
 Your iris widens when the light
goes down and narrows when
the light is bright (video camera
demo)
 The f-stop of the fully-opened
iris is between f/2 and f/3
 Stopped down, it can reduce
light intensity by up to a factor of
20
 However, the main function of
the iris is not to control the
intensity of light coming into
your eye
 The range of light intensities to
which eye responds varies by
1013
 Main functions of iris
 Reduce aberrations, sharpen
image.
 Increase depth of field (e.g.
threading needle)
The eye focuses in a different manner
from the camera
 A camera is focused by
changing the distance,
xi, from the lens to the
image at the back on
the film or CCD as the
distance to the object
changes.
• A camera focuses on an
object any distance xo
from the lens (of fixed
focal length) by
changing xi so that xi is a
solution to the lens
equation
• 1/f = 1/xo + 1/xi
 The eyelens is a fixed,
unchanging distance, xi,
from the retina at the back
of the eyeball where the
image is created
• As the object distance, xo,
changes, focus is achieved
by the eyelens changing its
focal length, f, so that f is a
solution to the lens equation
• This method of focusing is
called accomodation
• 1/f = 1/xo + 1/xi
Human Eye: Review of what we
learned about the Human Eye
 Geometrical Optics
In the study of how light behaves, it is
useful to use “light rays” and the fact
that light travels in straight lines.

When light strikes the boundary Air

between two media, three things reflection
may happen: reflection, refraction,
or absorption.

absorption Water

refraction
Reflection, Refraction, and
Absorption Air
reflection
Reflection: A ray from air
strikes the water and
returns to the air.
absorption Water

refraction

Refraction: A ray bends Absorption: A ray is absorbed

into the water toward the atomically by the water and
normal line. does not reappear.
 The Laws of Reflection
1. The angle of inci- Air N reflection
dence qi is equal qi qr
to the angle of
reflection qr : Water

All ray angles are measured with respect to normal N.

2. The incident ray, the 3. The rays are

reflected ray, and completely
the normal N all lie reversible.
in the same plane.
 The Plane Mirror
A mirror is a highly polished surface that forms images by
uniformly reflected light.

Note: images appear

to be equi-distant
behind mirror and are
right-left reversed.
 Real and Virtual
Real images and objects are
formed by actual rays of light. Light rays No light
(Real images can be projected
on a screen.)

Real object Virtual

image

Virtual images and objects do not

really exist, but only seem to be Virtual images are on the opposite side of
at a location. the mirror from the incoming rays.
 Normal Eye Focus

“Blind spot”
Video

 YouTube
“The Human Eye” and “How the Human Eye
Works”
Focusing Problems

HYPEROPIA
 Far-sightedness

 Problem seeing close

objects
 Distance between lens
and retina too small
 Light focused behind
retina
 Corrected with
converging lenses
Far-Sighted (Hyperopia)
Focusing Problems

PRESBYOPIA
 Form of far-sightedness

 Harder for people to

read as they age
 Lens loses elasticity

 Corrected by glasses
with converging lenses
Focusing Problems

MYOPIA
 Near-sightedness

 Problem seeing objects

far away
 Distance between lens
and retina too large
 Light focused in front of
retina
 Correct with diverging
lenses
Near-Sighted (Myopia)
Diseases of the Eye

ASTIGMATISM
 Eye cannot focus an
object’s image on a
single point on retina
 Cornea is oval instead
of spherical
 Causes blurred vision

 Some types can be

corrected with lenses
Diseases of the Eye

GLAUCOMA
 Group of diseases

 Affects optic nerve -

pressure
 Loss of ganglion cells

 Gradual loss of sight

and eventual blindness
 Check eyes regularly

 Can be treated
Diseases of the Eye
CATARACTS
 Clouding forms in lens
due to denaturing of
lens protein
 Obstructs passage of
light
 Caused by age, chronic
exposure to UV, or due
to trauma
 Removed by surgery
Vision Correction

CONTACT LENSES
 Artificial lens placed
over cornea
 Same as glasses

 Corrects for both near

and far-sightedness
 Also used for cosmetic
purposes (eye colour,
Hollywood)
Vision Correction

LASIK
 “Laser Assisted In Situ
Keratomileusis”
 Refractive surgery
using laser
 Corrects near and far-
sightedness and
astigmatisms