What might you not know about eyes? 20 unexpected facts

There are millions of moving parts in the eyes that provide the sharpness, depth and brightness of the images that a person sees.

As point out at Cleveland Clinic, because of this particular complex structure, the organ can be considered an engineering and biological marvel.

The eyes “hide” much more unexpected facts than you can imagine. Alisson Babiuch, ophthalmologist, doctor of medical sciences, told about them.

Fact #1

Each human eye has six muscles that move faster than any other muscle in the body. The brain manages to control the rapid movement of the eyes with the help of three cranial nerves.

Fact #2

Eyes grow with the rest of the body during adulthood. The first rapid development of these organs is observed from birth to two years. The next “growth spurt” occurs during puberty. Eyes reach their final size in early adulthood.

Fact #3

Normally, human eyes are about 24 millimeters wide.

Fact #4

The eyes of ostriches are considered the largest among terrestrial animals – their diameter reaches about 50 mm. In the sea, the owner of the largest eyes is a squid. He has them similar in size to a dinner plate.

Fact #5

The image that the lens of the eye focuses on the retina is actually inverted. People see the “correct” position of bodies thanks to the brain, which changes the orientation of information and adjusts the size to the real one.

Fact #6

The color of the image that people see is provided by seven million cones of photoreceptors in the retina of the eye.

Fact #7

Cells in this part of the organ detect only red, green and blue colors. However, due to the combination of these signals by the brain, people are able to see approximately 10 million colors.

Fact #8

The inability to see colors – color blindness – occurs when some photoreceptor cones are missing. About 300 million people worldwide have this feature. They are mostly men.

Fact #9

There are more than 100 million photoreceptor rods on the retina, which ensure the quality of vision in the dark. These areas of the eye are extremely sensitive and react even to a few photons of light.

Fact #10

Despite the fact that photoreceptor rods do not help to determine colors, thanks to them, people can see up to 500 shades of gray.

Fact #11

Babies are born with poor vision that gradually improves over the first few months of life. It takes about four months for a baby to be able to see colors and distant objects.

Fact #12

Babies’ eyes can sometimes squint or move out of sync – the reason for this is the process of developing the vision of newborns, during which they learn to focus their vision on an object.

Fact #13

Tears are rare at the beginning and end of a person’s life. All because babies get the ability to produce tears only at the age of 1 to 3 months. Aging also leads to a gradual decrease in the number of tears.

Fact #14

Eye color is as unique as fingerprints. According to the doctor of medical sciences, no two people in the world have the same eye color. At the same time, shades of brown are found most often.

Fact #15

Eye color usually remains the same after one year of age. In other circumstances, it may indicate ophthalmic diseases.

Fact #16

Both active and passive smoking increase the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, which impairs central vision, and other diseases that can lead to vision loss.

Fact #17

Thanks to two eyes, the brain is able to calculate distances. To do this, it compares the different images received from each eye.

Fact #18

A change in the quality of vision can indicate the appearance of serious health problems, such as diabeteshigh blood pressure or inflammatory diseases.

Fact #19

Sunglasses can not only complement your style, but also protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The risk of damage from this type of sunlight is greater in people with light-colored eyes.

Fact #20

Blinking is the main eye protection reflex. On average, adults blink 14 to 17 times per minute, which is more than 13,000 to 16,000 blinks per day.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Babiuch, many processes take place in the eyes every second, so it is important to check the health of this organ in a timely manner. Experts recommend contacting doctors for consultation once or twice a year.

Visits should be made more often for people who wear contact lenses or glasses or are at increased risk of eye disease.

“It’s amazing what our eyes can do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need your help to stay healthy”– notes Elizabeth Babiuch.

Earlier we talked about what features of the body can testify hair condition.