As we look back into our lives the greatest gift that all of us would undoubtedly cherish is the gift of vision. The great prowess of the universe or the deep longings of the dreams all come true in this one great faculty. The ever towering mountains and the perennial rivers become nothing but for this great faculty.
It is also said that it is the most complex organ after the brain. Further, experts believe that about 90% of all the information processed by our brain is via the eyes. It is also roughly estimated that the eyes bring you around 24 billion images in average lifespan. Indirectly they become a great part of the intellectual processing that we perform every day.
The idea of light would be irrelevant to us if not for this great asset. Among adults and children alike ‘gaze following’ is an important part of social interaction. Infants understand the triadic relationship of seeing or attention between themselves, the adult and the objects through the gaze.
Light enters through the cornea, a transparent layer of the eye.
It both serves as a protector and helps in curving the light to the retina at the back of the eye. Then, the light travels through the pupil; the iris (the colored area of the eye that surrounds the pupil) controls the amount of light that enters the eye. The pupil works like the manual camera lens and enlarges or shrinks as per the need.
Behind the iris is the lens, this focuses the light onto the retina. The retina contains photoreceptors (cells that sense light), which is nourished by the blood vessels. The Macula of the retina contains the maximum number of light cells tightly packed. Nerve fibers linked to the photoreceptors are bundled together to form the Optic Nerve. The photoreceptors convert the images to electrical signals, which are carried away by optic nerve to the brain.
However, this complex mechanism could be disturbed because of the lack of proper care that is given to the eye. Hence, the arising need for various treatments which become essential to get your vision back in shape. Some of the common ailments that affect humans are Refractive Errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism), Amblyopia, Strabismus, eye diseases – glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
As the organ is of that great importance there is a need to ensure that the best treatments. Some of the best hospitals in India offer very good eye care treatments. Considering South India some of the best hospitals in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have the full cover of treatment that ensures completed care.
However, prevention is better than cure any day. Therefore, it is important to focus on simple activities that would de-stress your eye. For example, when most of your day is spent in work or any activity in front of your computer screen for a long period of time, stare at any object, at least 25 meters away, once in a while. Even such simple acts could be of great use at the end of the day.
