The circular, colored curtain of the eye. Its opening forms the pupil. The iris helps regulate the amount of light that enters the eye.

The eye has a number of other key components including: the cornea, the pupil, the lens, the retina, the macula, the optic nerve, and the vitreous.

• The cornea is the clear front window of the eye that transmits and focuses light into the eye.
• The pupil is the dark aperture in the iris that determines how much light is let into the eye.
• The lens is the transparent structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.
• The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light and creates impulses that travel through the optic nerve to the brain.
• The macula is a small area in the retina that contains special light-sensitive cells and allows us to see fine details clearly.
• The optic nerve is the nerve that connects the eye to the brain and carries the impulses formed by the retina to the visual cortex of the brain.
• The vitreous humor is a clear, jelly-like substance that fills the middle of the eye.

Greek: Iris (goddess)
Latin: (no equivalent goddess)

Either of two zones on the anterior surface of the iris, separated by a circular line concentric with the pupillary border.

A defect of the eye characterized by multiple holes in the iris: Iris dehiscenceobstructs the integrity of the colored part of the eye that can cause an irregularly shaped pupil or dispersed or sprinkled light that enters the eye.

The protrusion of the iris through an injury in the cornea of the eye.