What is the Cornea?

The cornea is the front clear window at the very front part of the eye. It is a highly specialised structure that gives strength and protection to the eye and prevents any bacteria entering the eye.

The clarity of the cornea is critical for vision

The clarity of the cornea is critical for vision, if the cornea turns cloudy, then you are looking through a misty window and you cannot see very well at all.

The other important part and role it fulfils is to focus light, it provides two thirds of the focusing power of the eye and allows the lens to do the fine tuning of the final one-third of the focusing of the eye.

Share This Post

Take the eye surgery self-test to see if you qualify

Not everyone is a candidate for eye surgery. Find out if laser eye surgery could help you ditch your glasses and contact lenses by taking this fast quiz

About the author

Mr Alex J. Shortt | Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

MB BCh MSc PhD FRCOphth PGDipCatRef

I’m Alex Shortt, a highly trained academic researcher and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon based in London’s famous Harley Street medical district. I trained and worked as a consultant for 14 years at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital. I specialise in advanced technologies for correcting vision, including cataract surgery, implantable contact lenses and laser vision correction.