Science Common Sense


4 - How do people see?

Seeing is like taking a picture with your eyes. Here's how it works:

  1. Light from the world around you enters your eyes through the pupil (the black part).
  2. The light goes through a lens in your eye (behind the colored part) and it focuses the light onto a special area called the retina.
  3. The retina converts the light into signals (like little messages).
  4. These signals travel from the retina to the optic nerve (a special cable) and then to your brain.
  5. Your brain gets the signals and says, "Oh, I know what this is! This is a tree, or your friend's face, or a book!" and that's what you see.