May is Healthy Vision Month! Let's celebrate this month by learning a little bit about the eye. The eye is the body part(s) that allow your brain to see and process visuals from the outside world. Humans are born with eyes about 70-75% of their final size (Medical Eye Center, 2024, Para. 6). The eyes develop quickly over the first few years of a person's life. This growth includes the ability to recognize colors and depth when seeing. Seeing is done through the interaction of multiple parts of the eye. First, light must pass through the clear top layer of the eye known as the cornea. The iris, of the colorful part of the eye, grows and contracts to allow certain amounts of light through the pupil, or the black part at the center of the eye. Finally the light reaches the retina tissue at the very back of the eye. Once the light has reached the retina, signals are sent to the optic nerve in the brain to communicate what is being seen. The retina is divided into two sections, the macula which gives us central vision and the peripheral retina which gives us side vision. For seeing to happen, all aspects of the eye must work together to transfer light into sight.
But the parts of the eye that see are not the only parts of the eye! The eye has six muscles attached to the white part of the eye known as the sclera. These muscles are called extraocular muscles and they are what make the eye move. There is also a film of tears that sit on top of the eye to prevent it from drying out. A mucin layer, a watery layer, and an oil layer all work together to create the tear film to keep the eye lubricated. When the eye is not lubricated it can lead to a condition called dry eye which can cause discomfort and redness.
For more information about the eye and eye health, check out some of the titles on the list below!
References:
Medical Eye Center. (2024, February 18). The journey of eyesight: From birth to adulthood. https://www.medicaleyecenter.com/2024/02/28/the-journey-of-eyesight-from-birth-to-adulthood/
National Eye Institute. (2022, April 20). How the eyes work. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work
National Eye Institute. (2025, August 6). How tears work. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work/how-tears-work
Turbert, D. (2023, April 9) Eye anatomy: Parts of the eye and how we see. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/anatomy/parts-of-eye
May is Healthy Vision Month. Learn more about eye health through these titles.
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