What part of the eye is responsible for focusing light?

The lens of the eye plays a critical role in focusing light onto the retina, which is essential for clear vision. When light enters the eye, it first passes through the cornea, which begins the process of bending or refracting the light. After that, the light travels through the pupil, which regulates the amount of light entering the eye based on the surroundings.

However, it is the lens that fine-tunes the focus. It changes shape to adjust the focal distance, allowing us to see objects at varying distances clearly. When we look at something close, the lens becomes thicker to bend the light more sharply. Conversely, when focusing on distant objects, the lens flattens. This adjustment is crucial for clear vision, as the lens ensures that light is precisely focused onto the retina, where photoreceptor cells convert the light into electrical signals that the brain can interpret as images.

The retina, though vital for detecting light, does not focus the light itself but rather captures the focused images created by the lens.