Eye Anatomy Glossary

Cornea
A clear, window-like covering over the colored part of the eye, the iris. The cornea allows light to pass through to the back of the eye. For good vision, it is very important the cornea remains clear and healthy.
Sclera
A tough, white covering over most of the eye. Sclera protects your eyeball and helps form its round shape.
Iris
The colored part of the eye. The iris is a ring of muscles that controls the amount of light that enters the eye by making the pupil bigger or smaller.
Pupil
An opening in the middle of the iris. Light passes through the pupil to the retina. The pupil appears black because the back of the eye is dark and filled with fluid.
Lens
A clear, M & M candy-shaped object behind the iris. The lens helps to focus the things we look at by bending the light that passes from the front of the eye (cornea) to the back of the eye (retina). As we get older, certain types of light rays may cause the clear lens to become cloudy or yellow. When this happens, it is called a cataract.
Retina
The thin tissue covering the back of the eye. The retina has specialized nerve cells, which help us see color, light, and dark. Light is focused upon the retina much like an image is focused upon the film in a camera.
Optic Nerve
A bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers that carries information from the eye to the brain. Electrical impulses (visual signals) run from the retina to the brain through the optic nerve.
Eye Muscles
Each eyeball has six muscles attached to the sclera that allow the eye to move left, right, up, down, and diagonally to track an object. The brain coordinates eye movements so the eye muscles move the eyes together.

 

Donation Glossary

Designated donation
The legally documented ante-mortem (before death) decision of an individual to be a donor.
In Situ Recovery
When referring to eye donation, in situ (Latin for in place) means recovering only the cornea at the site of donation. In situ compares with whole eye donation, in which the entire eye is procured and transferred to an eye bank before the cornea is removed for transplant.
Organ
Transplantable organs are the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines. Legally, organ refers to eyes, tissues, or solid organs.
Organ Procurement Organization
Organ Procurement Organizations are responsible for the procurement of organs for transplantation and the promotion of organ donation. OPOs are designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and are regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services. Minnesota’s designated OPO is LifeSource.
Eye Bank
Eye banks obtain, medically evaluate, and distribute donor eye tissue for use in corneal transplantation, research, and education. They are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Minnesota’s eye bank is the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank.
Tissue
Transplantable tissues include bone, fascia, heart valves, ligaments, pericardium, saphenous veins, skin, tendons, and veins.
Tissue Bank
Tissue banks process, store, and distribute donated tissue and cells. They are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Tissue banks operating in Minnesota include American Donor Services, American Tissue Services Foundation, and LifeSource.
UAGA
The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, enacted in August 1968 and adopted by all fifty states, is national model legislation that established the legal framework for the making and receiving of anatomical gifts. A revised UAGA is currently being reviewed by states.