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The human eyes are amazing and intricate organs, and sight is considered by many to be a very precious sense. As fantastic as they are, knowing how they work doesn’t need to be a mystery.
The human eyes work very similarly to a camera. When you look at an object, the light it generates enters your eyes. The light first passes through the corneas, which begin focusing the light. It then passes through to the pupils. The size of the pupils changes to regulate the amount of light entering the eyes.
The light is then focused through the lenses and onto the retinas. The retina is a light-sensitive layer in the back of the eye that contains highly evolved cells called rods and cones. The retina then changes the image into electrical and chemical impulses, which are transmitted along the optic nerves and into the visual center of the brain. It is when the image reaches your brain that vision occurs.
When some people try to look at objects, all they see is a blurry image. That usually means they are farsighted, nearsighted, or have astigmatism. If someone is farsighted, they have difficulty seeing things close-up – and sometimes even at a distance – because the image focuses behind the retina. This is usually because the eyes don’t focus properly or are shorter in length than they should be.
If someone is nearsighted, they have trouble seeing things far away. This is because the eyes are longer than they should be, and the image is focused in front of the retina. If someone has astigmatism, their eyes are irregularly shaped.
In all three of these cases, glasses or contact lenses can help bend the light and refocus the eye.
Color blindness occurs when the cone cells don’t work efficiently. Most color blind people have difficulty differentiating between reds and greens. It is only in rare cases where a person can’t see any colors at all.
If you want your eyes to stay in good working condition, regular exams are necessary. Not only will you get an updated prescription, but your doctor can diagnose other, more serious conditions, too.
“Regularly-scheduled eye examinations can help us diagnose issues that might be vision-threatening but not necessarily show symptoms that would be obvious to a patient,” CEENTA Optometrist Michael Spicola, OD, said.
Your eyes are a wonder of biology. Don’t hesitate to keep it in good working order. Schedule an appointment with a CEENTA eye doctor today.
This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your physician. Dr. Spicola practices in our Huntersville office. To make an appointment with him or any of CEENTA’s eye doctors, call 704-295-3000. You can also schedule an appointment online or through myCEENTAchart.
CEENTA pediatric ophthalmologist Elliot McKee, MD, appeared on WCNC's Charlotte Today on April 16th, 2024, to discuss strabismus.
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