Did you know that blind people can see their dreams unless they are born blind? Being able to see is the biggest gift that a living being has got. Sight helps one see the world around – the beauty in nature and the charms of the world. Even the thought of the inability to see saddens. This is because vision is important not just to see and admire the beauty around us but also helps, from the basics of taking calculated steps.

Sight is one of the prominent sensory organs that a human has. It is important to see and learn about various things, and also in moving about. The structure of eyes is intricate and complex. It has countless neuro-fibres that are connected to the brain. The coordination between the eyes and the brain helps us visualize the real image of something that we see. Thanks to the creator who has put in such a thought of an intricate system that simplifies our lives completely. Though humans have other sensory organs, eyes remain crucial of all.

When you see something, it is not your eyes that see it, but your brain through your eyes. In simple terms, your eyes are a medium through which you are able to sense things around you in an image format. With this amazing organ, we do wonders. Let’s see some of the basic facts about the eyes:

• The human eye can differentiate close to ten million colours. While men have lesser aesthetics to understand colours, women have strong colour differentiation.
• There are close to two million working parts in each eye.
• The most common eye colour in the world is brown.
• It is the fastest muscle in the body.
• A person blinks on an average of 4,200,000 times a year!
• Blue-eyed people share common ancestors across the world with every other blue-eyed person.
• It is one of the organs that does not grow, unlike hands and legs.
• Babies don’t produce tears until they are six weeks old.

Our eyes are to be valued and treasured, for our whole world could go dark if something were to go wrong. Hence it becomes important that we care for our eyes. Due to various reasons, people encounter with eye disorders from a very young age. Eye disorders are broadly categorized into four:

• Myopia – Also called as nearsightedness, this defect causes a blurred vision for farther objects while the objects nearer are seen clearly.
• Hypermetropia – On the contrary, hypermetropia or farsightedness is a defect in which there’s a difficulty in seeing closer objects while objects far away can be seen clearly.
• Astigmatism - This is a condition that is characterized by a blurry vision of varying degrees. This blurred vision is caused due to an anomaly in or irregular shape of the cornea, or abnormal curvature in the lens.
• Presbyopia – This occurs due to old-age when ciliary muscles become week. It can be corrected by wearing specs.

Mild or heavy, bad eyesight causes a lot of disturbances. Taking even a single step forward seems to be difficult. While correcting such defects can be done by altering and switching to a good diet and regular eye exercises, people these days expect instant solutions. This is when ‘science and technology plays its card. Gone are the days when one had to suffer from eye defects. The recent advancements in science have paved the way for various equipment and tools that can identify eye defects effectively. Not only this but also treat them with cent per cent accuracy. Let’s see what are the various inventions that have solved many eye problems:

• Contact Lens – Contact lenses are thin and curved silicon material placed right on the eyeball. These are used for correcting eye vision, cosmetic and therapeutic reasons. These gave eyeglasses a big blow. Lenses are worn by people who do not prefer wearing eyeglasses. Also, conditions like keratoconus and aniseikonia are treated better with contact lenses than with glasses. Though they are tricky to use they give good relief to those suffering from wearing heavy glasses. If you wish to buy a pair online, you can check Contact Lenses Plus.
• Laser – Laser/ Lasik treatment was the first of its kind in the world to have provided the advanced technology to alter eye power. It corrects myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism. It provides a long-lasting or even permanent solution to eye defects. PresbyLasik helps correct presbyopia. This procedure uses a laser beam instead of any surgical equipment to correct the eye disorder. In this treatment, a flap opening is made on the eyeball and the cornea is corrected. The corneal flap is then reassembled. Post this, one need not wear glasses or contact lenses.
• ReLEx Smile – This treatment is an advancement of Lasik treatment. Your eyes deserve the best and a feather-like touch treatment will not only make you feel extremely comfortable but also shows how far have we leapt in science and technological advancements. It gives precise results and is a permanent solution. It is a procedure that takes hardly 15-20 minutes. Unlike laser, there is no corneal flap created in this procedure.
• Gene therapy – This therapy is mainly used for disorders inherited from past generations. This cures some of the rarest eye disorders. In this therapy, a healthy copy of the gene is injected in the eyes so a working protein can be produced. The injected virus injects the DNA in the affected area and overrides the existing genetic code. This way, the eye repairs and heals itself.
• Bionic eyes – Bionic eyes are a revolutionary prosthetic eye that restores limited vision for people suffering from complete blindness. This device prevents retinal cells from dying. We see and perceive thing with our brains through our eyes. This artificial eye helps provide visual sensations to the brain through electronic systems containing sensors, microprocessors, receivers, radio transmitters and retinal chips. This is set at the back of the retina which senses the image and sends signals to the brain. The brain then processes the image and provides a vision. For now, a bionic eye fits into the frame of a usual glass. Scientists are working on medical advancements to make it smaller enough to fit the eyeballs.

Science never rests and so does technology. We as humans have always always been keen on inventions to make a man’s life comfortable. Gone are the days when people had uncurable diseases. With the advancement in science, we now are able to bring out the best of solutions to solve every minute disorder. It is also important that we take immense care of our organs so as to not encounter any fatal ailment.