How the eye works – Higher
Accommodation is the process of changing the shape of the lens to focus on near or distant objects.
To focus on a near object – the lens becomes thicker, this allows the light rays to refract (bend) more strongly.
To focus on a distant object – the lens is pulled thin, this allows the light rays to refract slightly.
| Position of object | Ciliary muscles | Suspensory ligaments | Muscle tension on lens | Lens shape | Refraction of light rays |
| Near | Contract | Slacken/loosen | Low | Fat/thicker | Light is refracted strongly |
| Distant | Relax | Stretched/tighten | High | Thin | Light is only refracted slightly |
| Position of object | Near |
|---|---|
| Ciliary muscles | Contract |
| Suspensory ligaments | Slacken/loosen |
| Muscle tension on lens | Low |
| Lens shape | Fat/thicker |
| Refraction of light rays | Light is refracted strongly |
| Position of object | Distant |
|---|---|
| Ciliary muscles | Relax |
| Suspensory ligaments | Stretched/tighten |
| Muscle tension on lens | High |
| Lens shape | Thin |
| Refraction of light rays | Light is only refracted slightly |
The lens changes shape to focus on near and distant objects