11. Lens
• The lens is an elastic, biconvex, and transparent structure largely
composed of epithelial cells, called lens fibers.
•The lens lies behind the iris and is held in place by
suspensory ligaments of ciliary body
14. Ciliary Body
• Forms internal ring around the front
of the eye
• Ciliary processes – radiating folds
• Ciliary muscles – contract and relax to
move lens
Figure 12.28 Lens and ciliary
Figure 12.28 Lens and ciliary
body viewed from behind.
body viewed from behind.
15. Iris
• Composed of connective tissue and smooth
muscle
• Pupil is hole in iris
• Dim light stimulates radial muscles and
pupil dilates
• Bright light stimulates circular muscles
and pupil constricts
16. Inner Tunic
• Retina
• Contains visual receptors
• Continuous with optic nerve
• Fovea centralis – center of macula lutea; produces sharpest vision
•Macula lutea – yellowish spot in retina
• Optic disc – blind spot; contains no visual receptors
• Vitreous humor – thick gel that holds retina flat against choroid coat
22. Major Groups of Retinal Neurons
• Receptor cells, bipolar cells, and
ganglion cells - provide pathway for
impulses triggered by
photoreceptors to reach the optic
nerve
• Horizontal cells and amacrine
cells – modify impulses
Figure 12. Notice that
photoreceptors (rods and cones) are
the posterior most cells in this circuit.
Light waves stimulate the
photoreceptors, which send impulses
forward to horizontal cells and
ganglion cells before leaving the eye
through the optic disc.
23. Visual Receptors
• Rods
• Long, thin projections
• Contain light sensitive pigment called rhodopsin
• Hundred times more sensitive to light than cones
• Provide vision in dim light
• Produce outlines of objects
• Cones
• Short, blunt projections
• Provide vision in bright light
• Produce sharp images
• Produce color vision
• Pigments include:
• Erythrolabe – responds to red
• Chlorolabe – responds to green
• Cyanolabe – responds to blue
Color perceived depends on
which sets of cones are
stimulated
24. Figure 12.38 Rods and cones. (a) Several
Figure 12.38 Rods and cones. (a) Several
rods converge onto a single sensory nerve
rods converge onto a single sensory nerve
fiber to the brain (b) separate sensory nerve
fiber to the brain (b) separate sensory nerve
fibers transmits impulses from the cones to
fibers transmits impulses from the cones to
the brain. (c) Scanning electron micrograph of
the brain. (c) Scanning electron micrograph of
rods and cones..
rods and cones
26. Visual Pigments
• Rhodopsin
• Light-sensitive pigment in rods
• Decomposes in presence of light
• Triggers a complex series of
reactions that initiate nerve
impulses
• Impulses travel along optic nerve
• Pigments on cones
• Each set contains different lightsensitive pigment
• Each set is sensitive to different
wavelengths
• Color perceived depends on which
sets of cones are stimulated
• Erythrolabe – responds to red
• Chlorolabe – responds to green
• Cyanolabe – responds to blue
26
28. Visual Nerve Pathways
Axons from ganglion cells in retina leave the eyes to form the optic nerves.
Some of the fibers decussate at the optic chiasm.
• Fibers from the nasal (medial) half of retina cross over
• Fibers from temporal half (lateral) of retina do not cross over
Most fibers of the optic tract continue to the lateral
geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, which relays
impulses towards the visual cortex.
29. Figure 12.41 The visual pathway
Figure 12.41 The visual pathway
includes the optic nerve, optic
includes the optic nerve, optic
chiasma, optic tract, and optic
chiasma, optic tract, and optic
radiations.
radiations.
End of Chapter 12