5 Surprising Facts About the Eye
Your eyes are one of the most amazing parts of your entire body. They allow us to see and take in information about the world around us. But what do we really know about these amazing organs of vision? Here are 5 surprising facts about the eye.
- They work hard. Out of all the muscles in your body, did you know that your eye muscles are the most active? While some muscles get the chance to rest, or need a warm up before they can operate at full potential, your eyes are always ready to go. Your eyes also know how to keep other body parts busy too. The process of sight involves almost half of your brain.
- Everyone has a blind spot. At the back of each retina there is a small blind spot where the optic nerve attaches. Luckily, you’ll never notice it because your eyes work together and fill in each other’s blind spots. How smart is that?
- Your eyes are light. If the scale registers a few extra pounds one morning, you can’t blame it on your eyes. Did you know that your eyes only way .25 of an ounce each! A glass marble weighs about .16 ounce, so each eye is just slightly heavier than one of those. Each eye is about 1 inch in length too. Your eyes are small but mighty.
- Eyes heal quickly. Your eyes are amazing, self-healing organs. Even if you get a corneal abrasion, a deep scratch on your cornea, if you take it easy (leave contact lenses out) and rest and follow your doctor’s advice, it’ll heal in about forty-eight hours. Tears cleanse out a lot of the debris and bacteria helping to keep the eyes healthy and clean. Your eyelids and eyelashes also play a protective role to keep the amount of self-healing the eye has to do at a minimum.
- Most eye problems can be cured. Did you know that 80% of all eye problems are either avoidable or curable? From wearing corrective lenses to having a cataract removed, science has come a long way in its ability to help the eyes function optimally. Unfortunately, there’s still no way to fully replace someone’s eyeball if necessary. No one has ever had a successful eye transplant because the delicate connection is between the optic nerve and the eye itself cannot be reconstructed.
