Health Library Explorer
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A-Z Listings Contact Us
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Click a letter to see a list of conditions beginning with that letter.
Click 'Topic Index' to return to the index for the current topic.
Click 'Library Index' to return to the listing of all topics.

Normal Vision

What is normal vision?

Cross section of eye showing normal anatomy.

To understand how certain problems can affect your child's vision, it’s important to know how normal vision happens. For children with normal vision, the following things happen in this order:

  1. Light enters the eye through the cornea. This is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye.

  2. From the cornea, the light passes through the pupil. The iris, or the colored part of your eye, controls the amount of light passing through.

  3. From there, it then hits the lens. This is the clear structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.

  4. Next, light passes through the vitreous humor. This is the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye. It helps to keep the eye round in shape.

  5. Finally, the light reaches the retina. This is the light-sensitive nerve layer that lines the back of the eye.

  6. The optic nerve is then responsible for carrying the signals to the visual cortex of the brain. The visual cortex turns the signals into images.

Online Medical Reviewer: Chris Haupert MD
Online Medical Reviewer: Tara Novick BSN MSN
Online Medical Reviewer: Whitney Seltman MD
Date Last Reviewed: 2/1/2023
© 2000-2024 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
Powered by StayWell
About StayWell | Disclaimer | Terms of Use

Our web site is designed to provide general information to educate users about programs and services, which may be available through our hospitals. The web site is not intended to provide medical advice nor should the information be used to attempt to determine the presence, absence or severity of any illness or medical condition which may be perceived or experienced by the user of this site. If you have or suspect you may have an illness or condition which you believe requires medical attention, we recommend you call your primary care physician. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency please call "911" (or your local medical emergency number) or seek immediate care from the nearest hospital Emergency Department. The provision of information to users of this web site is not intended as an inducement or to otherwise influence a person's decision to order or receive any item or service from a particular provider, practitioner or supplier that is reimbursable under Medicare, a state healthcare program (e.g., AHCCS) or any other healthcare plan.

Physicians are members of the medical staff at each facility, but are independent contractors who are neither employees nor agents of Tenet Florida Coastal Division; and, as a result, Tenet Florida Coastal Division is not responsible for the actions of any of these physicians in their medical practices.