In Your Eyes Trivia Quiz

Answer: fovea

The word 'start' indicates that the first letters of the following five words will give the answer. The initial letters of 'Filling One Vacancy Every Answer' are F, O, V, E, A, so the answer is 'fovea'.

The fovea is in the centre of the retina; it contains the cones responsible for colour vision.

Answer: retina

The word 'moves' indicates an anagram. The letters to be re-arranged are 'E' from 'Eastern' and 'train', so the answer is 'retina'.

The retina in the eye is like the film in a (now probably obsolete) camera. If it becomes detached through injury or old age, and cannot be re-attached surgically, the sight will be lost in that eye.

Answer: sclera

The word 'around' indicates that the answer is hidden in the clue. In this case the words 'muSCLE RAn' contain the answer, which is 'sclera'.

The sclera protects most of the outside of the eyeball. Although it is often referred to as the white of the eye, in small children it can appear bluish and it may appear slightly yellow in the elderly. When suffering from conjunctivitis, the sclera can be coloured pink or red.

Answer: pupil

A child at school is a 'pupil', which is also part of the eye.

The pupil is actually a gap in the eye which lets the light in. This varies in size depending on the lighting levels. On a bright sunny day, the pupil will contract to prevent too much light damaging the eye. In dim conditions the pupil will expand as far as possible to maximise vision.

Answer: rods

'Around' shows that the answer to the clue is hidden in the preceding words, and 'turns' indicates that the answer is backwards in those words. Reading 'as dory' in reverse we can see 'yROD Sa', giving the answer 'rods'.

The rods, which are found in outer part of the retina, are light sensitive cells. There are approximately a hundred million rods in each eye. They can detect light and dark changes, but not different colours.

Answer: macula

The words 'every other' mean that alternate letters of 'MeAn CrUeL mAn' are used to make the answer, which is 'macula'.

The macula is in the centre of the retina. Age-related macular degeneration can lead to blurring or loss of central vision, while the peripheral vision remains unaffected.

Answer: cornea

The word 'hides' indicates that the answer can be found in the words of the clue. Inside 'aCORN EAsily' is the word 'cornea'.

The cornea is a transparent layer protecting the front of the eye. People with some visual defects can wear a contact lens adjacent to the cornea, or even have surgery to the cornea so that they don't have to wear spectacles. Corneas which have suffered damage can be wholly or partially replaced with a transplant.

Answer: iris

An 'iris' is a flower and also a name for part of the eye.

The iris is the coloured part of the eye; it can be any shade of green, blue, grey or brown. The iris takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow. It surrounds, and regulates the size of, the pupil. While most people have the same colour for both eyes, some people have heterochromia when the two eyes have a different colour for each iris.

Answer: cones

Every other letter in 'CrOoNs EaSt' gives the answer 'cones'.

The cones are the light sensitive cells in the retina which detect different colours. There are about six million cones in each eye; different cones detect red, green or blue. If there are no, or very few, cones to detect one or more of the colours, then colour blindness occurs.

Answer: lens

The word 'finally' indicates that the last letters of the following four words will give the answer. The final letters of 'filL thE knowN partS' are L, E, N, S, so the answer is 'lens'.

The lens focuses the light onto the retina. A healthy lens is transparent. If cataracts form, the lens becomes opaque, and vision deteriorates. However it is now possible to replace the lens with an artificial one, which can restore the sight to the affected eye.