What Is The Function Of Cornea

The cornea is the outermost transparent layer of the eye, located in the anterior portion of the eye. It covers the pupil, the visible pigmented portion (iris), and aqueous humour. Its main purpose is to refract light entering the eyes, and it accounts for most of the focusing power and optical power of the eyes.

Cornea Structure

The human eye is triple-layered. The three layers are sclera, choroid, and retina. The sclera is the outermost layer of dense connective tissue. The anterior portion of the sclera is known as the cornea. The main characteristics of the cornea are the following:

The cornea is the anterior portion of the eye, which covers the pupil, iris and the aqueous chamber. It is an extension of the sclera.

The cornea is composed of proteins and cells, but does not contain any blood vessels. Albumin is the most abundant protein found in the cornea.

The outermost layer of the eye is nourished by aqueous humour and tears.

The cornea is sensitive to touch, chemicals, heat, etc. It contains unmyelinated nerve endings which are responsible for the involuntary reflex of closing the eyelid upon touch and protecting the eye from foreign particles and damage.

The human cornea is made up of five layers:

  1. Epithelium

  2. Bowman’s layer

  3. Stroma

  4. Descemet’s membrane

  5. Endothelium

  6. Corneal Epithelium - Consists of multiple layers of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelial cells, which are regularly regenerated from the basal layer.

2. Bowman’s Layer: Mainly composed of collagen fibres and protects the stroma.

3. Corneal Stroma - It is a thick and transparent middle layer composed of collagen fibers and interconnected keratocytes.

4. Descemet’s membrane - It functions as a basement membrane for the corneal endothelium.

5. Corneal Endothelium - It is composed of mitochondria-rich squamous or cuboidal cells which receive nourishment from aqueous humour and are unable to regenerate like corneal epithelium. This layer of the cornea helps maintain its fluid content and regulates the transport of solutes and fluids between the different layers of the cornea and aqueous humour.

Cornea Function

The cornea is responsible for refracting light and providing up to 75% of the eye’s focusing power. The remaining focusing power is provided by the lens. Additionally, the lens is responsible for the eye’s accommodation ability, which allows it to focus on objects both near and far.

The corneal epithelium allows tears to spread across the cornea and keep it moist. It helps in providing clear vision.

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