The Human Eye

Poster detail

Photo: Poster detail from Mimi_K at flickr.com

Charles Darwin worried that the human eye cast doubt on the entire theory of evolution. He felt it was the one structure of the human body that was so subtle and so complex that it was difficult to believe it could possibly have evolved. These were his words: “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.”

Online Activities

Quiz: The Locations and Functions of Eye Structures

Recommended Websites

Explore the sites below to appreciate the sheer intricacy of this remarkable organ:

A summary of the eye itself and of the light source that stimulates it 

An interactive diagram of the anatomy of the eye .

Click on these options: Flight into the Retina and The Lens.

How the blind spot works

Videos

TedEd: How illusions trick your brain

Crash Course: Vision

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