Accommodation (Science Word of the Day: 6/27/13)

In a scientific context, the word accommodation refers to the process by which the focal length of the lens of the eye is changed so that clear images of objects at a variety of distances can be displayed on the retina and thus seen by the brain. In humans and many mammals, this is achieved through reflexive adjustments to the shape of the lens of the eye by relaxing or contracting muscles in the ciliary body.