Physics of sight
The Eye and Sight
Objectives
• Describe and explain image formation by the
human eye.
– The basic structure and function of the eye and its parts.
– Accomodation.
• Explain defects of the eye: Myopia,
Hypermetropia, Presbyopia, and astigmatism.
• Explain how eye defects can be corrected
including calculations of the appropriate
correcting lenses.
The eye and sight
The eye and sight
• Cornea:
• main focusing element, bends diverging light rays
through the pupil
• Iris:
• A dark colored muscular diaphragm with the pupil in
the middle
• regulates the amount of light entering the eye by
adjusting the pupil size.
• Contracts the pupil for high intensity (or bright)
light, thus decreasing the amount entering the eye
• Dilates pupil for low intensity (dim) light to allow
The eye and sight
• Pupil:
– aperture in the center of the eyeball through
which light enters the eye
– Bounded by the Iris which controls its size .
• Lens
• focuses the light to the retina and creates an
image
• held in position by ciliary muscles which help in
changing the curvature and focal length of the
eye lens.
• Retina:
• Image is focused on it .
• System of photosensitive rods and cones converts
Accomodation
• Eye has a fixed image distance: the distance
between the lens and the retina
– If the object distance is changed, the focal length
is adjusted to create a sharp image
– adjustment of the focal length of the lens enables
us to focus on objects at different distances.
• Accommodation: The ability of the eye to
change its focal length (f).
• The shape of the lens is altered by the ciliary muscle.
Accomodation
Nearby Objects Distant Objects
• Have a longer image distance • Have a shorter image
Shorten the focal length distance
• Ciliary muscles contract Lengthen the focal length
• Squeeze the lens into a more • Ciliary muscles relax
convex (fat) shape • Lens assumes a flatter
• Pushes cornea bulge out (thinner) shape
further: greater curvature • Cornea is not pushed out =
less curvature
Near point
• Least distance of distinct vision (near
point): the point nearest to the eye at
which an object is visible distinctly.
• Closest point at which an object can
be brought into focus by the eye
– Typically about 25 cm
– Decreases with age
FAR POINT
• The maximum distance up to which
the normal eye can see things clearly.
– Typically infinity .
– Decreases with age.
RANGE OF VISION.
• The distance between the near point and
the far point is called the range of vision
DEFECTS OF THE VISION
• Hypermetropia or long sightedness
• Myopia or short sightedness
• Astigmatism
• Presbyopia
HYPERMETROPIA
• Inability of the eye to focus on NEARBY objects
• Can see distant objects
• Close objects are focused BEHIND the retina
• Near point farther away from the eye
Causes of Hypermetropia
• Shortened eyeball (retina is closer than normal to the
cornea lens system)
• Lens can no longer assume highly convex (fat) shape
– Accomodation no longer working
– Weakened ciliary muscles
– Reduced flexibility of the lens
– Common as people age
Correction of Hypermetropia
• Need to refocus the image on the retina
– Decrease the focal length of the cornea lens
system
– More refraction (more converging power)
• Add a converging lens
Hypermetropia
Hypermetropia correction
MYOPIA
• Inability to focus on distant objects
• No difficulty focusing on nearby objects
• Images of distant objects are formed in front
of the retina
• Far point is closer than normal
Causes of Myopia
• Not usually caused by aging
• Bulging cornea (greater curvature)
• Elongated eyeball (increased distance
between the retina and eye lens)
Correction of Myopia
• Need to refocus the image on the retina
– Increase the focal length of the cornea lens system
– Less refraction (Decrease converging power of the
eyelens)
• Add a diverging lens
Myopia
ASTIGMATISM
• Vision is blurred due to the inability of the eye to
focus a point object into a sharp focused image on
the retina.
• Eyes have different focal lengths in different planes
resulting in distorted images because light rays are
prevented from meeting at one common focus.
• Due to irregular curvature of the lens. corrected by
using toric or sphero-cylindrical lenses
– Mostly hereditary.
PRESBYOPIA
• Caused when the centre of the eye lens
hardens making it unable to
accommodate near vision
• Due to age
Example
1. A farsighted woman cannot see objects
clearly that are closer to her eye than
60.0 cm. Determine the focal length and
power of the spectacle lenses that will
enable her to read a book at a distance of
25.0 cm.
Example 1: Answer
• For far sight she needs a converging lens
whose image will be the object of the eye.
This image should be located on the same
side of the lens as the object i.e. a virtual
image. This will mean a virtual object for the
eye.
• The real object is a distance 25cm from the
eye, the virtual image should be located at
60cm
Using
1 1 1
f u v
Real object u 25cm
virtual image v -60cm
1 1 1 60 25
f 25 - 60 1500
f 42.86cm
Power of the lens is
1 1
Power 2.33D
f (0.4289)
Example
2. A nearsighted man cannot clearly see
objects that are beyond 50 cm from his
eye. Determine the focal length and
power of the glasses that will enable him
to clearly see distant objects given that
the eye’s near point is 25cm. What is the
near point when this lens is worn?
ANSWER 2
H e needs a diverging lens whose image of a
distant object will be the eyes virtual object.
The image is therefore virtual. The desired
object distance is infinity, thus:
1 1 1
f u v
Real object u
virtual image v -50cm
ANSWER 2
1 1 1 1
f - 50 50
f 50cm
The power is :
1 1
2.0D
f 0.5m
ANSWER 2
• An object at the near point must
“seem” to come from the original
near point, therefore the lens must
have a virtual object at 25cm. This
virtual object is the image of the
object at the new near point.
ANSWER 2
1 1 1
f u v
1 1 1
u f v
Real object u new near point
virtual image v -25cm
1 1 1 1 2 1
u (-50) - 25 50 50
50cm
Q4
• A foundation year student is unable to see
objects beyond 82 cm. Her range of vision is
63 cm. She consults an eye specialist who
confirms that she has an eye defect and
recommends certain spectacle lenses.
– What is the student’s current near point? (2
mark)
– Determine the power of lenses recommended by
the specialist and from your answer state the
type of lenses they are. (5 marks)
– What is the student’s near point with the
lenses on? (3 marks)
Q 4 ANSWER
Range of Vision = Far point – Near point
Near point = Far point - Range of Vision
N = 82cm -63 cm =19cm
1 1 1
f u v
The student is able to see between 19cm and 82cm, so we must give
him lenses that will enable him to see further than 82cm. That is,
the lenses must bring an object positioned at infinity to where his
eye can see it: 82cm. u= ∞, v= −82cm
1 1 1 1 1
P
f () ( 82cm) f ( m) ( 82 100) m
1 1 1
P 1.219D
f 82cm 0.82m
f 82cm P 1.22D
P is negative therefore it is
concave lenses
Q5
• A photographic slide is to the left
of a lens. The lens projects an image
of the slide 6.00m to the right of the
slide. The image is 80 times the size
of the slide.
– How far is the slide from the lens? (4
marks)
– Is the image erect or inverted? (1 mark)
– What is the focal length of the lens? (4
marks)
– Is the lens converging or diverging? (1
mark)
Q 5 ANSWER
- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -
u
Lens
80 u
6m
6m = u + v
or
6m=u-v
Q 5 ANSWER
(a) v (b)
v 6m .0741 5.9259m
m
u
v All real distances are positive,
80 therefore the image is real.
u Real images are inverted. Image
80u v is inverted.
u v 6m
u 80u 6m
81u 6m
u 0.0741m
Q 5 ANSWER
(c) (d)
v 6m .0741 5.9259m Focal length is
positive meaning
1 1 1 that it is a REAL
focus. For lenses,
f u v converging lenses
( u v) have real focus. It
f is a
( u v) converging/convex
lens.
(0.0741m 5.9259m)
f
(0.741m 5.9259m)
f 0.07318m Refer to you notes for answers
relating to the distinction of
f 0.0732m chromatic, spherical aberrations,
and astigmatism. Q6.
