How Do We See?

Learn how light travels through the eye and how the visual system allows you to see and experience the world around you.

How do we see?

Let’s follow the light.

Light enters the cornea, the clear “window” of the eye.
The cornea bends the light so it passes through the pupil.
The iris makes the pupil bigger or smaller, which determines how much light gets to the lens.
The lens angles the light through the clear vitreous to focus it on the retina.
The retina converts the light into electrical impulses. These impulses travel along the optic nerve to your brain, producing an image.

While it may sound complicated, this happens in less than a second and allows you to see the world around you.