Exactly How do Our Eyes Work?
When you consider the vast amount of experiences we encounter through our visual sense, it’s easy to claim that our eyes are truly amazing! It may have been watching a vibrant sunset that filled your heart with warmth, or maybe seeing your child smile and laugh that brought you satisfaction. Whatever the cause, it’s our eyes that allow us to witness such joyous moments in our lives. Exactly how do our eyes work?
How Our Vision Works
Our eyes are highly complex organs. They take in light, whether from the sun or an artificial source, that has bounced off an object and traveled into our eyes through our pupils. The pupil is the little black hole in the middle of the eye. Depending on the amount of light the eye is exposed to, the iris, the colored part of the eye, will cause the pupil to change in size. The more light there is, the smaller the pupil will get. The darker it is, the pupil will get larger to allow for more light to enter the eye. In addition to light causing the pupil to change in size, it will also get up to 45% larger when looking at something considered pleasant, trying to allow as much of it in as possible.
Once the light has entered the eye, it passes through the lens of the eye. The lens will focus the light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains millions of sensors that convert light into electrical impulses called photoreceptors. The retina can take in up to 10 million bits of information every second! The photoreceptors then travel along the optic nerve, into the brain where the brain translates them into an image, and voila! We can see. The image that travels to the brain is actually upside down initially, but converts right side up for us to see. The eyes use 65% of our brain power alone. That is more than any other part of the body.
We Love Your Amazing Eyes!
Your eyes are precious tools to experiencing life. We want to make sure they are as healthy as possible. Call us to schedule your annual eye exam today. 435.359.2020
The content found on this blog is for information purposes only. It is not intended to take the place of professional medical advice from your eye care provider. Always seek treatment from a qualified health care provider with all your eye health and medical questions regarding your health.