The EyeHow light becomes an image, part by part.Body & healthLight's path from the outside world to the optic nerve.1CorneaThe clear front. It does most of the focusing — about two-thirds ofit.2Pupil and irisThe iris opens and closes the pupil to control how much lightenters.3LensFine-tunes focus by changing shape. Stiffens with age, which iswhy reading glasses arrive.4RetinaRods for low light and motion; cones for colour and detail.5Optic nerveCarries the signal to the visual cortex. Its exit point is the blindspot.COMMON PROBLEMSMyopia — the image focuses in front of the retinaHyperopia — behind itAstigmatism — an uneven corneaPresbyopia — the lens stiffening with ageThe image on the retina is upside down and back to front. The braincorrects it, permanently and invisibly.The Eyelearnposters.com
The Eye — printable health wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

The Eye, step by step

Light's path from the outside world to the optic nerve.

  1. CorneaThe clear front. It does most of the focusing — about two-thirds of it.
  2. Pupil and irisThe iris opens and closes the pupil to control how much light enters.
  3. LensFine-tunes focus by changing shape. Stiffens with age, which is why reading glasses arrive.
  4. RetinaRods for low light and motion; cones for colour and detail.
  5. Optic nerveCarries the signal to the visual cortex. Its exit point is the blind spot.

Common problems

  • Myopia — the image focuses in front of the retina
  • Hyperopia — behind it
  • Astigmatism — an uneven cornea
  • Presbyopia — the lens stiffening with age

The image on the retina is upside down and back to front. The brain corrects it, permanently and invisibly.

Questions about the The Eye poster

What’s on the The Eye poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Light's path from the outside world to the optic nerve. Cornea — The clear front. It does most of the focusing — about two-thirds of it.; Pupil and iris — The iris opens and closes the pupil to control how much light enters.; Lens — Fine-tunes focus by changing shape. Stiffens with age, which is why reading gl…; Retina — Rods for low light and motion; cones for colour and detail.; Optic nerve — Carries the signal to the visual cortex. Its exit point is the blind spot.. The image on the retina is upside down and back to front. The brain corrects it, permanently and invisibly.
Who is the The Eye poster for?
The Eye belongs to the Body & health section rather than to a school year, because health is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning anatomy can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the The Eye poster?
The lens focuses; the retina detects. Most vision problems are one of those two. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so The Eye belongs on the wall where that health work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with The Eye?
Blood, Blood Types and The Body Systems sit alongside The Eye in the Body & health section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.BloodBlood TypesThe Body Systems
Is the The Eye poster free to download and print?
Yes. The Eye downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Body & health section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the The Eye poster print at?
The Eye is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of The Eye loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside The Eye on the same wall.

Browse every Body & health poster, or start from the full catalogue.