At Southwest Vision Center, we believe that every good eye care plan starts with having a solid understanding of how your visual system works. Read on as your reliable optometrist explains how your sense of sight actually works:
How Your Eyes and Brain Produce Your Vision
Light rays travel in a straight line. They bounce off objects you see across your visual field and pass through your cornea, dome-shaped structure covering the front part of your eyes. The light rays will then enter through your pupil, a small opening in your eye surrounded by a colored region known as the iris, which controls the size of your pupils and regulates the amount of light entry. In dimmed settings, your iris enlarges the pupil (dilation) to allow maximum light entry, while it narrows the pupil (constriction) in brightly lit places so your eyes aren’t overwhelmed by light.
Next, your natural lens will help focus the light toward the retina. Your expert eye doctor explains that the lens flattens when viewing objects from afar, while it bends to see up-close objects clearly. The retina, which is composed of various photoreceptors, converts the received light into nerve signals, which the optic nerve carries to the brain’s occipital lobe to complete image translation.
Taking Care of Your Eyes
Your eyes are vulnerable and delicate structures, which is why it’s important to take good care of them. We advise incorporating eye-friendly foods like leafy greens, citrus fruits, and deep-water fish into your diet. We also highly encourage quitting sight-threatening habits like smoking.
Perhaps most importantly, we suggest visiting your trusted eye care doctor for regular eye exams. If we find refractive errors, we can give you a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses for your improved visual acuity. We recommend wearing sunglasses for added protection whenever spending time outdoors.
If you have any further questions about your visual system, call us at (269) 241-0033 for Buchanan, (269) 241-0032 for Three Rivers, or (269) 241-0031 for Edwardsburg. We serve Buchanan, MI, and nearby areas.