How the Eye Works

The eye functions much like a camera. The front of the eye contains the structures which focus the image and regulate the amount of light that enters the eye, similar to the lens and shutter of a camera. The inside of the eye is filled with a gel-like substance called vitreous. In the back of the eye is the retina, which functions like the film in a camera. Without film, a camera cannot take a picture and without the retina, the eye cannot see. A normal full-term infant has a nearly fully formed retina. Blood vessels which provide nutrition to the retina grow from the back of the eye to the front, with this process completed just after birth.