How Do We See?

Have you ever wondered how we can see all the beautiful things around us like our parents, friends, flowers, or butterflies? Yes, you guessed it right, we can see because of our eyes, and that is why our eyes work like windows to the world. Do you know that our eyes work just like a lens and around 80% of everything we learn comes through the eyes? So here, we will learn how our eyes work and how we are able to see this beautiful world.

How Do the Eyes See?

The eyes can see things because of the light. Light bulbs, the sun, and fire are a few sources of light. The light that comes from these sources travels in a straight line, so when they strike an object, they bounce and travel in another direction.

So when we look at an object, these light rays enter our eyes through a front layer called the cornea and that is how we can see light rays. As you know that our eyes work just like a camera lens, so let us understand in detail how our eyes work?

Light rays enter our eyes through the cornea. The light rays then continue to travel and reach the iris. If you have ever wondered why some people have green, blue, brown, or black eyes, it is because of their Iris. It is that part of the eyes that gives them their colour.
                    

Different Parts of the Eye

The light rays then pass through a lens behind the pupil. The lens bends and focuses the light so that we can see the image clearly, but due to this, the image in our eyes is formed upside down.

There is a small black hole in the iris called the pupil. The light rays enter the pupil but do you know the iris has muscles that help the pupil control the amount of light that enters?

The sharp focused, upside-down image is formed on the retina that is on the back of our eyes. The retina is a layer that responds to light because it has special cells called rods and cones. Rods allow us to see shapes, while cones allow you to see colours. You are able to see that your friend is wearing red clothes and has a black bag because of your retina.

How Do We See the Right Image?

Now you must be wondering if you can see images just the way they are and not upside down. So how are you able to see the right image?

Mind Flipping the Image

This is because the retina changes this information into electrical signals so that our brain can understand what we see. These electrical signals reach the brain through the optic nerve which is at the very back of your eyes. The optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers that contains more than one million nerve cells. When your brain receives the electrical signals, it slips the image back the right way up, helping you to understand what you are seeing.

Summary

80% of everything we learn comes through the eyes. You will be surprised to know that our eyes work just like a camera lens. The light rays enter our eyes through the cornea and continue to travel and reach the iris. There is a small black hole in the iris called pupil. The iris has muscles that help the pupil control the amount of light that enters our eyes. The retina is a layer that responds to light because it has special cells called rods and cones. These electrical signals reach the brain through the optic nerve, which is at the very back of your eyes.