eye, eyes +
(Anglo Saxon or Teutonic: in Old English times, eye was eage, which is related to a whole range of words for "eye" in other European languages; including, Greek ophthalmos and Latin oculus [with all of its subsequent derivatives])
2. The eye from which the lens is absent.
2. A prosthesis for placement in the orbit of an individual whose eye has been removed.
Enucleation is only done under drastic circumstances such as to remove a malignant tumor in the eye or to relieve intolerable pain in a blind eye. Following enucleation, an artificial eye (ocular prosthesis) is implanted as a cosmetic substitute for the real eye.
2. The area of the eye, including lids and other accessory organs of the eye.
3. An organ of vision or of light sensitivity.
4. Either of a pair of hollow structures located in bony sockets of the skull, functioning together or independently, each having a lens capable of focusing incident light on an internal photosensitive retina from which nerve impulses are sent to the brain; the vertebrate organ of vision.
- The external, visible portion of this organ together with its associated structures, especially the eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
- The pigmented iris of this organ.
4. The ability to make intellectual or aesthetic judgments: "She has a good eye for fashionable clothes."
5. A way of regarding something; a point of view; attention; watchful attention or supervision.
6. Something suggestive of the vertebrate organ of vision, especially:
- An opening in a needle.
- The aperture of a camera.
- A loop, as of metal, rope, or thread.
- A circular marking on a peacock's feather.
8. In meteorology, the circular area of relative calm at the center of a cyclone.
9. Informal, a detective, especially a private investigator.
More about the organ of sight
The eye has a number of components. These components include but are not limited to the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina, macula, optic nerve, choroid and vitreous.
- The cornea is the clear front window of the eye that transmits and focuses light into the eye.
- The iris is the colored part of the eye that helps regulate the amount of light that enters 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 choroid is a thin vascular layer between the sclera and the retina that supplies blood to the retina and conducts arteries and nerves to other structures in the eye.
- The vitreous humor is a clear, jelly-like substance that fills the middle of the eye.
Invertebrates (animals lacking a backbone or spinal column) usually have eyes that are simple photoreceptors (ocelli), sensitive to the direction and intensity of light.
The higher mollusks and arthropods have compound eyes that form images. The vertebrate eye is a complicated spherical structure, connected to the brain by the optic nerve. It has an outer white sclerotic coat with a transparent front, called the cornea.
This is lined by the vascular pigmented choroid, continuous with the ciliary body and the iris in front.
In the center of the iris is a hole, the pupil, though which light enters, to be focused by the lens onto the retina. This is the innermost layer and it contains light-sensitive cells (rods and cones).
2. The direct look into the eyes of another person.
2. The eye to which a person unconsciously gives preference as a source of stimuli for visual sensations.
The dominant eye is usually used in sighting down a gun or looking through a monocular microscope or a telescope.
It causes the eyes to be misaligned in one or more axes or direction.
2. The eye proper without the appendages.
Related "eye" or "eye part" word families: blepharo-; core-; corneo-; irido-; lenti-, lens-; lenticulo-; ocelli-; oculo-; op-, -optic; ophthalmo-; phaco-; pupillo-; retino-; uveo-.