Morphology of the visual system

Abstract

The morphology of the different structures related to the visual perception is described, accordingly to the respective function to which they serve: the organ for the reception of the luminous signal, including the optical system (cornea, anterior chamber, crystalline lens, vitreous body), its additional parts (iris, ciliary body) and the system for nourishment and protection (choroid, sclera). Then, the structures for the sensory transduction, the transformation of the light stimulus to a neural signal (retina) and that of its transmission (optic nerve, chiasm, optic tracts, lateral geniculate nucleus, optic radiations). At last, those for decoding the signals of the visual sensation to a perception (visual cortex) and those which connect such acquired informations to others (associative areas) so that a final comprehension results. With this systematized and extensive survey, the relative importance of each structure in the process of the visual integration is characterized.