Chapter 10 of Class 10 Science, The Human Eye and the Colourful World, explains how the eye functions and introduces the scientific reasons behind everyday phenomena like the blue sky, rainbow, and red sunsets. It builds upon the concepts of light studied in the previous chapter and explores how vision works, what defects of vision are, and how atmospheric refraction creates beautiful patterns in nature. This chapter is extremely scoring in board exams and contains both theory-based and application-based questions.
I chose to write about this chapter because when I was preparing for the Class 10 board exam, this was one of the most relatable yet misunderstood topics among students. Most of us know we see things using our eyes, but not how the eye works internally or why we see mirages and rainbows. Many students also get confused between myopia and hypermetropia. That’s why having access to the NCERT PDF is essential. It explains the concepts in simple steps and includes neat diagrams that help with both understanding and diagram-based questions in exams. If you’re serious about scoring well, reading this chapter thoroughly from the NCERT book is a must.
Important Topics Covered in Chapter 10
Structure and Functioning of the Human Eye
- Cornea, iris, pupil, retina, and optic nerve
- Power of accommodation: How the eye adjusts to focus near and distant objects
- Near point, far point, and least distance of distinct vision
Defects of Vision and Their Correction
- Myopia (short-sightedness): causes, ray diagram, correction using concave lens
- Hypermetropia (long-sightedness): causes, ray diagram, correction using convex lens
- Presbyopia: common in old age, use of bifocal lenses
Refraction of Light Through the Atmosphere
- Why stars appear to twinkle
- Why the sun appears reddish at sunrise and sunset
- Advanced sunrise and delayed sunset
Dispersion of Light
- How white light splits into seven colours
- Prism experiment
- Rainbow formation: conditions required and diagram
Scattering of Light
- Why the sky is blue
- Why clouds appear white
- Application in nature and technology (e.g., fog lights use yellow light)
Download PDF
Click here to download NCERT Class 10 Science Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World PDF
















