When viewing an object that is close to the human eye, the

Analyze the question: The question asks what happens in the eye when we look at a nearby object. This is the process of accommodation.

Concept: Accommodation

To see clearly, light must be focused exactly on the retina. The eye does this by changing the shape of the lens.

| | Near object | Distant object | |---|---|---| | Ciliary muscles | Contract | Relax | | Suspensory ligaments | Slacken (loosen) | Taut (tight) | | Lens shape | Thick / fat (more convex) | Thin (flatter) | | Focusing power | Increased | Decreased |

Step-by-step solution:

1. Light from a close object diverges strongly as it enters the eye, so the eye needs more bending (refraction) to focus it on the retina.
2. To increase focusing power, the ciliary muscles contract.
3. When the ciliary muscles contract, the tension on the suspensory ligaments is reduced and they become slack.
4. The lens is elastic, so it bulges into a thicker, more convex (fat) shape, which bends light more strongly.

Checking the options:

• A. Eye lens becomes thin: wrong. This happens when viewing distant objects.
• B. Ciliary muscles relax: wrong. They contract for near vision.
• C. Suspensory ligaments become taut: wrong. They become slack for near vision. Taut is for distant vision.
• D. Eye lens becomes fat: correct. The lens becomes thicker and more convex.

Exam tip: Remember "Near = Contract, Slack, Fat": the ciliary muscles Contract, the ligaments go Slack, and the lens becomes Fat. For distant objects, everything is the opposite: muscles relax, ligaments are taut, and the lens is thin. If you can recall one case, you can work out the other.