We all have eyes, but we don’t all know how amazing they really are. At any given moment there could be hundreds of eyes staring at you, and the most fascinating part is that they could all be holding more secrets than you realize. Take these surprising facts for instance:

  1. The cells that are located within your retina actually operate a lot like the pixels in a camera, only better – giving you photo-quality images everywhere you look. So put down that camera and stop taking selfies – the best lens is in your eyes!
  2. The human eye uses countless layers of nerve cells to capture light and convert it into vision, and the most fascinating part is the fact that those cells actually communicate with and stimulate one another.
  3. The human body isn’t symmetrical and has a dominant eye much like it has a dominant hand. There are even exercises you can do to test it. Eyeglasses from Laurier Optical Innes Eye Clinic can help balance the difference between both your eyes.
  4. People whose left eye is dominant tend to recognize symbols better and read faster than those whose right eye is dominant.
  5. Everyone has a blind spot in their field of vision, but scientists have discovered an exercise that, when used properly, can make the blind spot shrink over time.
  6. Your eyes create two different visual options for your brain to choose from, and then your brain focuses those two images together to create one image. This is what is known as binocular vision.
  7. Our eyes open wide when are excited and squint when we are in fear. It is an evolutionary adaptation that regulates the amount of light that gets into our eyes – shielding us from something we don’t really want to see.
  8. Over time, the colour receptors in the eye known as “cones” lose their sensitivity and become less effective. Luckily, the visual brain is recalibrated as we age so that this loss doesn’t affect our ability to survive in a colourful world.
  9. Your eyeballs never sit still. Their tiny jerks and movements are called Microsaccades and they occur three to four times per second, This just so happens to be faster than the human heartbeat.
  10. If you go blind, your brain may actually figure out another way for you to see. When your eyes do not provide the brain with visual information it begins collecting data from other locations – like your ears, fingertips, and other sensual body parts.

Your eyes are fascinating, so don’t forget to take care of them. Visit your optometrist at Laurier Optical Innes Eye Clinic on a yearly basis to ensure your eyes are in good health.