Can you see without a lens? | Lens of the eye

Can you see without a lens?

The main task of the lens is to adjust the refractive power of the eye. By deforming the lens it is possible to fix individual objects precisely. However, the lens is not the only part of the eye that can bundle incident light rays.

It is not the lens that has the greatest influence on the refraction of light, but the cornea located further forward in the eye. The lens itself contributes about 20 diopters to the total refractive power of the eye. A missing lens can therefore be easily compensated for by wearing strong glasses.

However, this makes it impossible to fix objects in the vicinity. Before the development of modern implants, the simple removal or destruction of the lens was a frequently used therapy for clouding of the lens. This operation, known as cataract surgery, has been known worldwide since pre-Christian times.