When person is looking at near object (eg: when reading a book)

  • Diverging light rays reflecting off the near object are refracted through the cornea and the aqueous humour into the pupil.

  • Since Light rays reaching the eye are diverging → lens needs to be thicker (i.e. more convex) to bend the light rays more.

  • adjustment of lens of eye → so that clear images of objects at different distances are formed on retina.

  • When looking at close object → lens becomes rounder

  • rounded lens → refract light sharply → so image will focus onto retina

  • Ciliary muscles of ciliary body contracts

  • Suspensory ligaments and lens relaxes

  • Near point - object so close - lens can no longer contract and image formed will be blurred

Following Changes occur in the eye when focusing on a near object:

  1. Ciliary muscles contract → relaxing their pull on the suspensory ligaments
  2. Suspensory ligaments slacken → relaxing their pull on the lens
  3. The lens → being elastic → becomes thicker and more convex, decreasing its focal length
  4. Light rays from the near object → bend more → are sharply focused on the retina (fovea)
  5. Photoreceptors are stimulated
  6. Nerve impulses produced → transmitted by the optic nerve to the brain
    • Brain interprets the nerve impulses → and the person sees the near object