Normal Vision

What is normal vision?

Cross section of eye showing normal anatomy.

To understand how certain problems can affect your child's vision, it’s important to know how normal vision happens. For children with normal vision, the following things happen in this order:

  1. Light enters the eye through the cornea. This is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye.

  2. From the cornea, the light passes through the pupil. The iris, or the colored part of your eye, controls the amount of light passing through.

  3. From there, it then hits the lens. This is the clear structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.

  4. Next, light passes through the vitreous humor. This is the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye. It helps to keep the eye round in shape.

  5. Finally, the light reaches the retina. This is the light-sensitive nerve layer that lines the back of the eye.

  6. The optic nerve is then responsible for carrying the signals to the visual cortex of the brain. The visual cortex turns the signals into images.

Find a Doctor

SIGN UP TODAY FOR FREE E-NEWSLETTERS

Get the latest in medical technology, research and disease prevention sent to your inbox from Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Find a doctor or make an appointment: 314.542.WEST (9378) OR TOLL-FREE 1.844.542.9378
General Information: (314) 996.8000
12634 Olive Boulevard
Creve Coeur, Missouri 63141
©Copyright 1997-2024, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. All Rights Reserved