The clear structure near the front of the eye that bends light rays.

The clear structure near the front of the eye that bends light rays.

• A. Cornea
• B. Pupil
• C. Lens
• D. Iris

Answer: (C)

Light first meets the eye at the cornea, the clear, curved front surface. Its shape provides most of the eye’s bending power, refracting incoming light as it enters. The lens behind the iris then fine-tunes focus by changing shape, but the cornea does the bulk of the bending. The iris and pupil don’t bend light themselves—the pupil is just an opening that controls how much light comes in. So, the structure near the front that bends light rays is the cornea.

Light first meets the eye at the cornea, the clear, curved front surface. Its shape provides most of the eye’s bending power, refracting incoming light as it enters. The lens behind the iris then fine-tunes focus by changing shape, but the cornea does the bulk of the bending. The iris and pupil don’t bend light themselves—the pupil is just an opening that controls how much light comes in. So, the structure near the front that bends light rays is the cornea.