How the Eye Works

Before I can talk about what can go wrong, it is important for you to understand how the eye works, when it is working properly.



The best way I can describe it, is that the eye is like a camera. When you take a picture, the lens in the front of the camera allow light through and focuses that light on the film that covers the back inside wall of the camera. When the light hits the films, a picture is taken. (I am using film as a example as I do not totally understand the digital stuff).
The eye works in much the same way. The front parts of the eye (the cornea, pupil, and lens) are clear and allow light to pass through. The light also passes through the large space in the center of the eye called the vitreous cavity. The vitreous cavity is filled with a clear, jelly-like substance called the vitreous or vitreous gel. The light is focused by the cornea and the lens onto a thin layer of thissue called the retina, which covers the back inside wall of the eye. The retina is like the film in a camera. It is the seeing tissue of the eye. When the focused light hits the retina, a picture is taken. Messages about his picture are sent to the brain through the optic nerve. This is basically how we all see.