Debarati Ghosh, B.Optom
Optometrist, Vidyasagar College of Optometry & Vision Science, Kolkata
Our eyes are one of the most fascinating and complex part of the body. Actually how much do we really know about them and how they work? Moreover, we rely on them every day, yet we don’t give them much attention until something goes wrong and our vision gets affected. These two organs belong to a general group of eyes found in nature called “camera type eyes”.They take light waves bouncing off the things infront of us and convert those into continuous stream moving images that are accurate and detailed. They also connect us to our surroundings and make so many activities we take granted possible, from driving to reading.
So leaving the anatomy part aside, eyes are perhaps the most important part of our human body. The verdant greenery, the enchanting twists of rivers, the infinity of the oceans, and all the other beauties of the world, the Eiffel Tower or the famous Taj Mahal, are meaningless to the people who are blind. All means of entertainment and the most important thing in our daily life that is the internet or sightseeing are null and void if one is deprived of eyes. Nothing could be worse than to live all your life with the people you love, but with no vision to see them.
But how do they do all that?
Now, let’s focus on the portions of eye anatomy that are involved in forming images that is interpreted by the brain. We will discuss from anterior to posterior –
- Cornea – the transparent layer at the very front of the eye that allows light inside
- Iris – the colourful, circular muscle that contracts and expands to control the amount of light entering the eye
- Lens – a transparent biconvex structure in the eye, helps to refract the light to be focused on the retina, and also responsible for accommodation
- Retina – a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye, yet the most important one, consisting of cells called rods and cones, which are responsible for scotopic and photopic vision, and are also capable of colour vision.
- Optic nerve – the nerve that transmits visual information from retina to the brain
Therefore, as we can see that our eyes may be the windows to the soul, and that is why it is really important to take a few simple steps to make sure you help yourself to keep your eyesight at its best –
- Schedule an appointment for eye check-up
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet
- Exercise every day, it is another best way to keep our eyes healthy
- Get a sound sleep
- Make sure to wash hands before touching the eyes
- Wearing protective eye glasses in sunlight for protection from UV rays
- Definitely need to follow the 20/20/20 rule while working on any digital device
Show your eyes the love they deserve!