How much do you know about your eyes? Aside from the basics you learn in biology class, the eyes are a much more complex organ that you may think. Your eyes can perceive over 100 million colors and are incredible sensitive to light; this can be reflected in how well someone can distinguish different colors or how well they can see at night. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Take in the sight of these ten surprising eye facts.
1. You can see upside down.
Your eyes can recognize when an image is upside down (for instance, when you are looking at the concave side of a spoon), however, your brain will correct the image before we even understand what you are seeing.
2. It is possible to get sunburn on your eyes.
Sunburn on your eyes is not the same as sunburn on your skin. When your skin is sunburned, the pain is usually instant and results in redness and peeling. When your eyes are sunburn, it is usually a result of prolonged, gradual, and intense exposure to UV rays. Often, this can result in temporary blindness and thickened tissue around the eye. If the condition is severe, you may need to see a doctor for corrective eye surgery.
3. Eye color can help predict your personality.
If you are someone with blue eyes, rejoice! People who have blue eyes are much more tolerant of alcohol and can hold their liquor better than most other people. Anything from how you react to criticism to how you throw a Frisbee can be predicted by your color.
4. Eyes heal incredibly fast.
As you know, your eyes are incredibly sensitive. Anything that irritates them often causes eye pain and redness, which can be extremely uncomfortable and distracting. But, did you know that the eyes heal from abrasions within 48 hours? This is faster than any other part of the human body. If you experience an abrasion on your eye that does last more than two days, it is important to go and see your eye doctor as soon as possible. This could be an indication of an infection.
5. Newborns have extremely limited eye sight.
Normally, a person can have up to 20/20 vision. This means they can see up to 20 feet in front of them with clarity. Newborns, however, can only see up to 15 inches in front of them when they first open their eyes. As they grow older, the eyes gradually strengthen and become more accustomed to seeing longer distances.
6. Melanocytes are responsible for eye coloration.
Like in skin, melanocytes are responsible for how light or dark the color your irises are. People with more melanocytes will have darker eye colors; and the number of melanocytes a person has is encoded in their DNA.
7. People are born with lighter color eyes than they have today.
When we are born, we are not born with any special pigmentation such as freckles or moles. This is also applied to our eyes. Pigmentation occurs during the first year of life, so as newborns grow older their light eyes can become darker over time.
8. Your eyes know why you are crying.
Ever wonder why you cry when cutting onions? Well, that is because your eyes are trying to flush the toxins that onions produce from your body via your tear ducts. Or, when you cry after a particularly emotional event like a break up or funeral, your eyes produce protein rich tears that help with pain by reducing the built-up manganese and prolactin in your system. Your eyes also produce basal tears which help to combat dryness and irritation.
9. Your eyelashes grow back every five months.
Eye lashes are used to deflect debris such as dust from getting into and irritating the eye. Like all the other hairs on your body, they grow back to replace the ones that may have fallen out over time.
10. Your eye is more complicated than you think.
Your eye is slightly smaller than the size of a gumball, so you would think that the mechanics of your eye would be relatively simple. But, your eye has over 2 million working parts, over 1 million of those are optic nerve fibers.
Overall, your eyes are much more amazing than we give them credit for. So, take some time to appreciate all the amazing things they do. And be sure to throw on a pair of sunglasses too!
For a consultation towards clear vision, or to clear up any questions you may have, contact Laser for Eyes today. We are standing by to answer any of your concerns, and to help you get your vision back to where you want it. Join our growing family of happy customers who trust us with their eyes.