Our window to the world
Have you ever thought about the amazing amount of work our eyes do? From the moment we wake up in the morning, until bedtime when our eyelids begin to droop, our eyes are busy taking in everything in the world around us.
Our eyes are our window to the world; they can tell the shape, colour and size of an object and whether it is still or moving. If it is moving, we can judge the speed and know what direction it is going in.
Not only do our eyes see amazing things like rainbows and stars, but they also cry when we are sad, and they water when we get dust in them, to wash it out. Our eyelids automatically blink several times a minute to keep the eye clean and damp. The eyelid will also close in bright light to protect the eye until the eye adjusts.
The parts of the eye all work together to collect, bend and focus light to form a picture of what we are seeing, which is then sent to the brain which figures out what it is. Some of us do not have perfect vision and need eyeglasses (or contact lenses), to help us see better.
Near-sighted is when you can read things that are nearby (for example a book) very clearly – but things farther away look blurry. Farsighted is the opposite: things that are far away are very clear, but the words in a book, or anything close up, look blurred. Astigmatism is when the cornea (the clear dome covering the eye) is an uneven shape.
Glasses or contact lenses help correct the vision by focusing the light on the correct spot. If you have trouble with your eyesight, your parents will take you to an eye doctor for an eye test. First of all, he or she will ask you to read a special chart. The chart has letters and numbers on it that are very big at the top, but will get smaller and smaller as you read down the chart to the bottom. The doctor uses this chart to measure how well you can see.
Next, the doctor may look at your eyes using special tools. To choose the best lens, you look through a machine. The machine flicks through different lenses, and the doctor will ask you which one you can see most clearly through.
After this, you choose the frame for your glasses. It’s a good idea to choose a sturdy frame and, of course, it must fit your face very well. You will be amazed when you get the glasses and look through them and see what you were missing before.
Take good care of your glasses. Use both hands for putting them on and taking them off. Never put them lens side down, as they could get scratched. Keep them safely in a glasses case when you are not wearing them. Keep your lenses clean by rinsing in water and carefully drying with the eyeglass cloth.
