The Complexity and Origins of the Human Eye: A Brief Study on the Anatomy, Physiology, and Origin of the Eye

The human eye has been the cause of much controversy in regards to its complexity and how the human eye came to be. Through following and discussing the anatomical and physiological functions of the eye, a better understanding of the a rgument of origins can be seen. The anatomy of the human eye and its many functions are cl early seen, through its complexity. When observing the intricacy of vision and all of the different aspects and connections, it does seem that the human eye is a miracl e, no matter its origins. Major biological functions and processes occurring in the retina show the intensity of the eye’s intricacy. After viewing the eye and reviewing i ts anatomical and physiological domain, arguments regarding its origins are more clearly seen and understood. Evolutionary theory, in terms of Darwin’s thoughts, theorized fossilizati on of animals, computer simulations of eye evolution, and new research on supposed prior genes occurring in lower life forms leading to human life. Creation eleme nts can be clearly understood in the form of the wiring of the eye, answering computer simula ted evolution, the lack of biological purpose of emotional crying, and the possible skewed reasoning of evolutionists. THE COMPLEX HUMAN EYE 4 The Complexity and Origins of the Human Eye: A Brief Study on the Anatomy, Physiology, and Origin of the Eye The human eye is a highly intricate and delicate organ with so many differ ent processes and components, leaving room for much debate on how it came into existence. Creationists use the complexity of the human eye as one of their main argument s for the existence of a Creator and regard the human eye as His handiwork. Evolutionary scientists believe in Darwin’s argument that the human eye formed over mill ions of years through natural selection. In the viewing of the anatomy and physiology of the eye and sight, the nature of the eye’s intricacy is clearly seen, leaving room for ma ny questions. For many years, scientists and researchers have sought specific answ ers for what specifically may have caused the evolution of the eye. Genetic research has been done in effort to recreate the eye and some of its parts. Research continues to reve al that the eye is more complex than once thought. Questions involving the origin of the human eye, has led to research investigating possible answers to the beginnings of the eye and its supposed place in the evolutionary chain of natural selection. The problem with any theory is solid evidence. The evidence of the exact and minute changes in the development of the eye due to natural selection is difficult to find. Although genes and supposed precursors to the modern human eye may have been found, there is a lack of the small changes leading to the complex and intricate nature of the human eye. Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Eye The Anatomy of the Eye The eyeball itself consists of three main layers; the outer layer, compr ised of the cornea and the sclera, the middle layer, responsible for holding the blood supply for the THE COMPLEX HUMAN EYE 5 eye as well as the iris and the pupil, and the inner layer, or the retina. Along with the three layers, there are also three chambers of fluid which are the anteri or chamber, between the cornea and iris, the posterior chamber, between the iris and lens, and the vitreous chamber, which is between the lens and the retina. The first two chamber s not only provide nourishment to the interior of the eye’s structures, but also assist with inflation. The vitreous chamber contains a much thicker fluid called the vitreous humor . The vitreous humor gives the eye its shape and is the way by which light passes thr ough before reaching the optic nerve. The optic nerve is the method of sending informati on and images to the brain. It runs from the back of the eyeball and through the optic fora men, where it connects with the brain. This nerve transmits the signals for vision to the brain making vision possible. There are also other nerves in the eye, most of which convey pain or control motor actions (Anatomy of the Human Eye, 2009). The eyelids are an external portion of the anatomy of the eye, which are mostly for protection and preservation. The eyelid carries lacrimal secretions fr om the tear glands across the eye as it blinks. This is to ensure moisture and provide minimal protection. The eyelid is attached to the eye by a mucous membrane called the conjunctiva. Tear glands line the upper eyelid, which secrete tears for mois ture. There are seven extraocular eye muscles attached to the outside the eyeball. Si x re attached to the eyeball itself and the seventh is attached to the upper eyelid and is responsi ble for blinking. Blinking is a normal reflex involving the movement of the eye muscle attached to upper eyelid. The visual components of the eye are much more complicated in structure and function. The clear part of the eye is composed of the cornea, iris, a nd pupil. The white opaque part of the eye is the sclera, which surrounds the remaining portion of THE COMPLEX HUMAN EYE 6 the eyeball. The sclera acts as a sheath for the optic nerve. The cornea and the s clera come together at the limbus, which contains many eye blood vessels. The iris and pupil are the most noticeable structures of the eye. The iris is the colored part of t he eye composed of tissue lying underneath the cornea. The color of the eye, which is predetermined by genetics, also functions to block out unwanted light. The pupil is located in the center of the iris. This is the entrance of light into the eye and changes size to control the amount of light let in. The lens is located directly behind the iris and is used to focus light into the retina. T he retina is light sensitive tissue containing photosensitive cells. These cell ar known as rods and cones and use the light to convert it into electrical signals that the optic nerve carries to the brain (Anatomy of the Human Eye, 2009). These cells add to the ama zing nature of the human eyes. The fact that the eye uses light to form an image that make s sense to humans is miraculous. The Basic Anatomy of Vision The human eye develops directly from the brain and possesses two excellent lenses which are the cornea and the lens proper. When humans develop in the womb, the embryonic skin over the eye turns clear, becoming our cornea. In order to have complete clarity, this type of skin does not contain blood vessels, hair, and glands found in most other skin. It contains many nerves, causing it to be highly sensitive to touch. © morefocus group, inc. THE COMPLEX HUMAN EYE 7 The cornea is mostly a protective element for the eye, but also functions as a lens. The cornea has about four times the focusing power than the actual lens itself does. The lens, much like the cornea, is made from embryonic skin and is also transparent; however it is able to change focus, which the cornea is not able to do. This function allows humans to focus on an object and any distance. A camera would focus by moving its hard lenses, but the human eye’s lens is rubber like and flexes to focus quickl y through changing its shape. As humans age, the lens loses flexibility which affe ts clarity and the ability to focus as compared to its original capabilities (Menton, 2008). The anatomy of the retina is very important when investigating the complexi ty of the human eye. There are several layers in the retina that begin the task of proc essing light. The inner limiting membrane is the boundary between the vitreous humor, the cle ar gel that fills the space between the lens and the posterior aspect of the eye, a nd th retina. The ganglion layer is made of the cell bodies and the axons of the ganglion cells. T h re is also the inner plexiform layer contains the synapses between bipolar, horizontal, a nd amacrine cells. Next, the outer plexiform layer contains also bipolar and hori zontal cells, and also receptor synapses. The outer nuclear layer comes next and contains the nuc lei of the photoreceptor cells. The next layer is the outer limiting membrane, whic h contains a membrane that meets with the base of inner segments of the photoreceptor cells. Following the outer limiting membrane is the photoreceptor layer, comprised of inner and outer segments of rod and cone photoreceptors. The pigment epithelium layer comes next, which is comprised of dark pigmented cells, and appears dark due to its cells that contain melanin granules. Melanin granules absorb stray photons that can cause image blurs and protect certain cells from overexposure to light. The last layer i s the choroid, THE COMPLEX HUMAN EYE 8 which has much vascularization, and supplies the nutrients and oxygen to the retina (McCourt, 2003). The Basic Physiology of Vision Basic Physiology. The retina is a piece of tissue that measures close to one half of a millim eter thick. This tissue lines the back of the inside of the eyeball. The tissue itself is devel oped from the embryonic forebrain, thus considered a part of the brain. The retina is one of the mos t important parts of the eye because it begins basic visual processing before t h b ain receives the information. There are three layers in the retina with pack ets of nerve cells arrayed in three rows and separated by two other layers containing synaptic conne ctions. The retina’s two most important functions are detecting and responding to light thr ough sensory neurons and neural circuits. This begins the first stage of visual proc essing (Kolb, 2003). Cones and Rods are vital in light processing. In the outer segment layer, photopigment is seen in free floating disks in the rods and folded layers in the cones. Rods have discs, similar to stacked coins, while cones have a continuous outer membrane. The outer segments of the rods and cones are continuously replenished. This causes the pigment epithelium to trim off the excess of the membrane via phagoc ytic cells, which consume and recycle the mater