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])

amaurotic cat eye
A yellow reflex from the pupil in cases of retinoblastoma or pseudoglioma.
aphakic eye
1. An eye from which the crystaline lens has been removed.
2. The eye from which the lens is absent.
artificial eye (s) (noun), artificial eyes (pl)
1. A curved disk of opaque glass or plastic, containing an imitation iris and pupil in the center, inserted beneath the eyelids and supported by the orbitl contents after evisceration (removal of the contents of the eyeball) or enucleation (surgical removal of an eye); it may be ready-made (stock) or custom made.
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.

black eye (s) (noun), black eyes (pl)
Ecchymosis (skin discoloration caused by the escape of blood into the tissues from ruptured blood vessels) of the tissues surrounding the eye.
bleary eye (s) (noun), bleary eyes (pl)
An older term for sore, runny, or watery eye with an associated lackluster appearance and, by extension, dimness of vision.
crossed eye (s) (noun), crossed eyes (pl)
A deviation of the visual axis of one eye toward that of the other eye; or strabismus, a condition in which the visual axes of the eyes are not parallel and the eyes appear to be looking in different directions.
eye (s) (noun), eyes (pl)
1. The organ of vision that consists of the eyeball and the optic nerve.
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.
3. The faculty of seeing; vision.
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.
7. A photosensitive device; such as, a photoelectric cell.
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.

  1. The cornea is the clear front window of the eye that transmits and focuses light into the eye.
  2. The iris is the colored part of the eye that helps regulate the amount of light that enters the eye.
  3. The pupil is the dark aperture in the iris that determines how much light is let into the eye.
  4. The lens is the transparent structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.
  5. 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.
  6. The macula is a small area in the retina that contains special light-sensitive cells and allows us to see fine details clearly.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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).

eye bank
An organization that collects and stores corneas for transplantation.
eye contact (s) (noun), eye contacts (pl)
1. The meeting of the gaze of two people.
2. The direct look into the eyes of another person.
eye domanance, dominant eye, master eye
1. The almost universal situation in which one eye is unconsciously relied on and used more than the other eye or which is customarily used for monocular tasks.
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.

eye muscle imbalance
A pathological condition of the extraocular muscles of one or both eyes.

It causes the eyes to be misaligned in one or more axes or direction.

eye protection
Use of goggles, plastic or glass face masks, or protective glasses to prevent injury to the eye during work or play in situations that could cause severe damage to the eye; such as, when working with a grinding machine, sports involving a small ball, fishing, or hiking in an area where tree branches must be dodged.
eye stones
Very small stones placed in the conjunctival sac to remove a mobile foreign body from the eye.
eyeball, eye-ball (s) (noun); eyeballs, eye-balls (pl)
1. The globe of the eye.
2. The eye proper without the appendages.
eyebrow (s) (noun), eyebrows (pl)
The arch over the eye; also, its covering, especially the hairs.