Eye lens (lat. Lens crystallina)

Eye lens (lat. Lens crystallina)

The lens of the eye focuses the light entering through the pupil. With approximately 10 to 20 diopters of the eye's total refractive power (of about 63 diopters), the eye lens - along with the cornea - is an essential component of the eye for sharp vision.

The human lens is an elastic converging lens that can be adjusted to different distances by the inner eye muscles (ciliary muscle). The lens is convex (curved outward) and can change its curvature and thus its refractive power through accommodation.

Irregularities in the lens of the eye can also lead to refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, the lens becomes increasingly inflexible from the age of 40 and can therefore adjust less and less easily to near vision - this is referred to as presbyopia. Clouding of the lens in old age is also common - this is then referred to as a cataract.

Anatomy of the human eye

Human eye

The eye is one of our most important sensory organs for orienting ourselves in our environment. In its structure and functioning, the eye can be compared to a camera lens: Light rays ...

Outer eye shell

The outer shell is formed by the transparent cornea and the opaque white sclera. Both tissues give the eye its shape and strength. The conjunctiva covers the sclera in front ...

Conjunctiva (lat. Tunica conjunctiva) & Eyelid

The conjunctiva "connecting garment" (lat. Tunica conjunctiva) is a mucous membrane of the anterior segment of the eye and surrounds the cornea and the visible white part of the eye. With each blink, the conjunctiva distributes ...

Ciliary muscle (lat. Musculus ciliaris)

The ciliary muscle belongs to the inner eye muscles and is located in the ciliary body (lat. corpus ciliare) - also called the ray body. The ciliary body is a section of the middle eye skin and, besides the suspension ...

Posterior eye chamber (lat. Camera posterior bulbi)

The posterior chamber of the eye is smaller than the anterior chamber. It extends from the iris to the vitreous body - in it lies the lens. The aqueous humor - which covers both the posterior ...

Cornea (lat. Cornea)

Light enters the eye through the cornea, where it is then transmitted to the lens and pupil. The cornea is therefore also called the "window of the eye" and is a ...

Pupil (lat. pupilla): Eye hole of the eye

The pupil is the circular aperture in the center of the iris. Light enters the interior of the eye through the pupil. Its size is regulated by the surrounding iris, depending ...

Rainbow skin (lat. Iris)

The iris is the colorful part of the eye and is as individual as a fingerprint. The so-called iris, or "colorful aperture" of the eye, can be changed by an individual pigment distribution in ...

Middle eye shell

The middle shell consists of three sections with specific functions. The iris adjusts the incidence of light. The ciliary body produces aqueous humor and regulates the curvature of the lens for near or ...