The eye has two main purposes, providing a “house” for the neural tissue that receives light, the retina, and channeling light toward the retina.
The eye is composed of the cornea, a transparent window where light enters the eye; and the lens, which is a crystalline structure that lies right behind the cornea and focuses the light rays on the retina.  The iris is the colored ring of muscle around the pupil (the black center of the eye), which constricts or dilates depending on the amount of light present in the environment and changes the size of the pupil.  The size of the pupil regulates the amount of light by constricting to let in less light and vice versa.