A healthy optic nerve head curves slightly inward. The optic nerve transmits our sensory impressions from the eye to the brain. Vessels run through its center to supply the retina. The optic nerve head, called the papilla, refers to the place where the optic nerve emerges from the eye. This place is filled with nerve fibers, vessels and supporting cells and is examined, especially for glaucoma diagnosis, with an ophthalmoscope or a magnifying glass.
Anatomy of the human eye
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 lens of the eye - along with the cornea ...
Lenticular bands (lat. Zonula ciliaris)
The lens ligaments - also called zonular fibers - are elastic fibers arranged in a spoke-like pattern around the capsule in which the lens of the eye is located. They hold the lens in position ...
External eye muscles
The external eye muscles are responsible for the movements of the eyes, i.e. changing the direction of gaze. They attach to different parts of the eyeball. Humans have four straight and two ...
Sclera (lat. Sclera) in the eye
The sclera forms the outermost layer of the eye, it is "the white of the eye" that can be seen from the outside around the pupil and iris. It is therefore also called ...
Choroid (lat. Choroidea)
The choroid is located between the sclera and cornea and extends over the entire posterior part of the eyeball. It has a high density of blood vessels and supplies the retina with ...
Blood vessels in the eye
While the retina is supplied by the choroid from one side, blood vessels also lie directly on the back of the eye - the retina. This network of vessels comes ...
Vitreous body (lat. Corpus vitreum)
The vitreous body fills most of the interior of the eye and thus sits between the lens and the retina. Consequently, light entering through the pupil and lens must pass through the vitreous before ...
Retina (lat. Retina)
The retina is responsible for converting light entering the eye into nerve impluses. The retina is very sensitive to light and lines the inside of the eye. It is the largest retina in the world with approximately 127 ...
Yellow spot (lat. Macula lutea) in the eye
The yellow spot is located in the center of the retina and is only about three to five millimeters in size. It gets its name from a yellow pigment that is found on this spot. ...