Line of sight [infographic]

Posted on 15 July 2016

Ever wondered how sight works? Very basically, light enters through the cornea, which bends the light rays so that they pass freely through the pupil (the opening in the centre of the iris). From there, the light rays pass through the eye’s crystalline lens (which is made up of a water-soluble protein) and then into a thick gel-like substance (the vitreous), which fills the globe of the eyeball. The light rays finally end up at your retina, which processes those rays via millions of tiny nerve endings, and then sends impulses to your optic nerve.

We’re rounded up some interesting facts about your eyes.

Note: In South Africa, we use the metric system and, therefore, doctors speak about 6/6 vision (which means you can focus on something clearly 6m away), however 20/20 vision is still used locally in informal conversation.