Page 103 - Miracle in the Eye

Insects view the world
through thousands of
tiny eyes.

Insect Eyes
Compared to human eyes, the eyes of insects are considerably different.
Their structures come in one of two types, simple or complex.
Simple-structured eyes are round and small, capable only of separating
light and dark. Compound eyes, on the other hand, are larger and more com-
plex, made up of hundreds of small pieces. Each "piece" is actually a small eye
because it contains light sensitive cells, a lens, and connections to the brain.
As mentioned before, a human eye's lens can change shape, letting us
focus on objects at various distances. The lens in an insect's eye cannot
change shape, however, and so insects cannot focus.
The compound eye works by each of the eye's six-sided compartments
(called ommatidia) detecting a tiny portion of the visual field. The informa-

101