Final answer:
The health profession dedicated to eye care and related structures is optometry. Optometrists diagnose visual problems, prescribe corrective lenses, and identify eye diseases, providing treatment options informed by an understanding of the eye's anatomy and the principles of geometric optics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The health profession that focuses on the eyes and related structures is optometry. Optometrists are the healthcare professionals responsible for examining the eyes, diagnosing visual problems, prescribing corrective lenses, and identifying eye diseases. In understanding the basic physics of how images are formed by the human eye, one must appreciate the role of the cornea and the lens. The cornea functions as the eye's outermost lens, controlling and focusing the entry of light into the eye. The lens further refines this focus, making sure images are formed accurately on the retina. This process can be affected by various conditions such as myopia or hyperopia, which require vision correction through glasses, contact lenses, or even surgery.
Understanding the anatomy of the eye is crucial, as conditions like cataracts, where the lens might be removed, require external vision correction of about 16 Diopters. Furthermore, the characteristics of the rods and cones in the retina illustrate the eye's ability to process light and color, which is integral to our visual perception. Geometric optics principles provide a basis for analyzing how vision correction aids, like eyeglasses or contact lenses, can compensate for the eyes' inability to focus light properly onto the retina.