How to Make a Styrofoam Eye

Choose the color for the iris, the part of the eye that is pigmented. Paint a circle for the iris on the Styrofoam ball. If your eyeball must be anatomically correct, the size of the iris depends on the size of your ball. Refer to an anatomical diagram of the eye for the proper dimensions.

Paint a black dot in the center of the iris. This is the pupil, the hole through which light passes. If your eyeball must be anatomically correct, the size of the pupil depends on the size of your ball. Refer to an anatomical diagram of the eye for the proper dimensions.

Paint the orbital muscles as wide strips at the top, bottom and sides of the eyeball, beginning at the point at which the diameter of the eyeball is largest, and extending to the back of the eye directly behind the pupil. Alternatively, you may also paint the more familiar veins of the eyeball instead of orbital muscles. Paint these where the orbital muscles would be.

Cut your Styrofoam ball in half if you would like to include the inside of the eye in your model. Use a very sharp knife to cut the ball so the iris is cut in half from top to bottom.

Extend the iris and pupil 1/4 inch in on the flat side of the eyeball.

Paint the lens immediately behind the pupil, engulfing it. The lens needs to extend halfway up to the iris. You may choose any color to represent the lens.

Paint a thin band around the circumference of the flat side of the eyeball, extending from the top of the iris all the way around to the bottom of the iris. This is the sclera, which turns into the cornea at the front of the eye over the iris; you may use any color to represent it. Using a different color to represent the cornea, carefully extend the painted sclera band using a much thinner band of paint along the circumference of the ball that contains the lens and pupil.

Paint another band around the circumference of the flat side of the eyeball inside the band representing the sclera. This is the retina. Do not extend it past the top and bottom of the iris. You may choose any color to represent it.

Paint the blood vessels starting at the edge of the ball directly opposite the pupil. The vessels are to begin at the same point and extend only halfway across the ball toward the pupil.

Glue small pieces of hook and loop fasteners to the top and bottom of the flat sides of the eyeball to allow the eyeball to be pulled apart to display the inside.