My Child Needs Glasses?

 

 

In order to see things clearly, the front part of the eye (the cornea and lens) must focus a tiny picture of the object being looked at onto the back of the eye (the retina).  The cornea and lens create this tiny picture (the “image”) by assembling an infinite number of light rays.  If the image is not focused precisely on the retina, then the object is seen as a blur.   The lens in a pair of glasses (or a contact lens) puts the image into focus on the retina when the eye’s natural focusing system is not sufficient to do the job.

 

1 = Cornea.  The clear tissue that makes up the front of the eye.   Normally clear, like glass, the cornea does 2/3 of the focusing work.

 

2 = Iris.  The colored part at the front of the eye; some are brown and some are blue.  The iris regulates the amount of light entering the eye.

 

3 = Natural Lens.  The lens does 1/3 of the focusing work. Until the age of 40 years, or so, the lens changes shape put things into focus.    Typically clear at birth, with age the lens becomes cloudy (opaque) – this is referred to as a  “cataract.” 

 

4 = Retina.  The lining of the inside of the eyeball.  The retina converts images (tiny pictures of real objects) into chemical, and then electrical, signals, which are then sent to the brain.  The brain processes these signals and makes sense of it all – vision occurs in the brain.

   
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