Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The iris (pl.: irides or irises) is a thin, annular structure in the eye in most mammals and birds that is responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil, and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. In optical terms, the pupil is the eye's aperture, while the iris is the diaphragm. Eye color is defined by the iris.
Schematic diagram of the human eye. It shows a horizontal section through the right eye. The eye is made up of three coats, or layers, enclosing various anatomical structures. The outermost layer, known as the fibrous tunic, is composed of the cornea and sclera, which provide shape to the eye and support the deeper structures.
Diagram of a human eye; note that not all eyes have the same anatomy as a human eye. The mammalian eye can also be divided into two main segments: the anterior segment and the posterior segment. [10] The human eye is not a plain sphere but is like two spheres combined, a smaller, more sharply curved one and a larger lesser curved sphere.
The ciliary muscle is an intrinsic muscle of the eye formed as a ring of smooth muscle [3] [4] in the eye's middle layer, the uvea (vascular layer).It controls accommodation for viewing objects at varying distances and regulates the flow of aqueous humor into Schlemm's canal.
The human eye, showing the iris and pupil. In 1802, philosopher William Paley called it a miracle of "design."In 1859, Charles Darwin himself wrote in his Origin of Species, that the evolution of the eye by natural selection seemed at first glance "absurd in the highest possible degree". [3]
Some circle the circumference of the iris and the majority radiate toward the pupil. Blood vessels and nerves intersperse this mesh. In dark eyes, the stroma often contains pigment granules. Blue eyes and the eyes of albinos, however, lack pigment. Structure of the iris and surrounding parts showing the stroma of iris (stroma iridis).
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Light enters the eye through the pupil, and the iris regulates the amount of light by controlling the size of the pupil. This is known as the pupillary light reflex. The iris contains two groups of smooth muscles; a circular group called the sphincter pupillae, and a radial group called the dilator pupillae. When the sphincter pupillae contract ...