Relaxed ciliary muscleFor far sight the ciliary muscle is relaxed. That leaves the suspensory ligaments under tension.
Taut suspensory ligaments (zonule fibers)With the muscle relaxed, the ligaments pull on the lens.
Contracted ciliary muscleFor near sight the ciliary muscle contracts. That takes the pull off the suspensory ligaments.
Slack suspensory ligaments (zonule fibers)With the muscle contracted, the ligaments slacken.
Lens and pupil 3
Flattened lensPulled by the ligaments, the lens is flatter. A flatter lens bends light less, which suits far objects.
Rounded lensFreed from the pull, the elastic lens grows rounder. A rounder lens bends light more, which suits near objects.
Narrowed pupilThe pupil narrows for near sight. It happens together with the change in the lens.
Light and focus 3
Light from a far objectRays from a far object spread very little. Rays from a near object spread more.
Focus on the retinaThe rays meet at one point on the retina. In both views the image is in focus there.
Light from a near objectRays from a near object spread more as they reach the eye.
How this list was compiled: Every state checked on 2026-10-03 in two of these. (1) Wikipedia, English edition, Accommodation (vertebrate eye), Accommodation reflex, Ciliary muscle and Zonule of Zinn, text only. (2) Neuroscience Online, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Section 2, Chapter 14 (Lens Accommodation), https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s2/chapter14.html, and Section 3, Chapter 7 (The Accommodation Response), https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter07.html. (3) Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 1918 (public domain), The Tunics of the Eye and The Refracting Media, https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/1c-2-the-refracting-media. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry; nothing traced. A plan, not to scale. Licence: own work
How it works
Accommodation is how the eye changes focus between far and near. The same eye is drawn twice, cut across, with the light coming from the left. Each label names a part and what it is doing.
Read the full guide
Compare the two eyes part by part
Looking far: the ciliary muscle is relaxed (1), the suspensory ligaments are taut (2) and the lens is flattened (3). Light from a far object (4) meets at the focus on the retina (5). Looking near: the ciliary muscle is contracted (6), the ligaments are slack (7) and the lens is rounded (8). Light from a near object (9) spreads more, and the pupil is narrowed (10).
Muscle and ligaments do opposite things: when the muscle contracts, the ligaments go slack.
A rounder lens bends light more, so it goes with near objects.
Questions and answers
What happens in the eye during accommodation for near vision?
The ciliary muscle contracts, the suspensory ligaments slacken and the elastic lens grows rounder, so it bends light more. At the same time the pupil narrows and the two eyes turn inward.
Is the ciliary muscle relaxed or contracted for distance vision?
Relaxed. With the muscle relaxed the suspensory ligaments are under tension and pull the lens flatter, which suits light from far objects.
Why does the lens get rounder when the ciliary muscle contracts?
The muscle forms a ring around the lens. When it contracts, the pull of the suspensory ligaments on the lens eases, and the lens, which is elastic, takes a rounder shape.
Can I practice here for “label the actions of accommodation”?
Yes, for practice. That sentence is the instruction of a labeling exercise. The drawings here are our own and not a copy of any course figure, so your figure may use other wording.