Eyes - facts and questions

Contents

What is conjunctivitis?
What is colour blindness?
How can cats see in the dark?
Why do animals' eyes shine in the dark?
How do your eyes play tricks on you?
Do you have any more questions about your eyes?
Dr Kim says

In our other topics about eyes, you can find out about the parts of the eye and how they work,
how to care for your eyes and all about wearing glasses. In this topic you can find the answers to
some more questions about eyes.

What is conjunctivitis?
This is when the conjunctiva (say con-junk-tya) (the lining of the eyelids and the white of the
eye) gets sore, red and watery. The eye may be
sore or itchy and your eyelids might stick
together with yellow pus.
It feels like there is something in your eye.
Most times it is caused by a viral or bacterial
infection (germs).
It can also be caused by allergies, hay fever,
chlorine (klor-een) from swimming in pool water,
or sometimes it is part of having an illness like
measles.
What to do
Don't rub your eye. This will make it feel worse.
Tell mum or dad. You may need to see a doctor.
Mum may need to wash your eyes carefully, using warm water and a cotton ball. She will need
to be careful to throw the cotton ball away and wash her hands well before touching her own
eyes, because conjunctivitis spreads very easily. The school may want you to stay at home until
the conjunctivitis has gone, to make sure that other children and teachers don't catch it from you.
Use your own towel and face washer and don't share them with others.

The doctor may give you some eye-drops or ointment to make it better.

What is colour blindness?

Some people cannot see all the colours, or may not see differences between certain colours. This
is because some of the cells on the retina are missing or do not work properly. Usually they can't
see the difference between red and green.
Boys are more likely to be colour blind than girls are. (It's all in your genes - not the denim
ones!)
Special pictures are used by doctors and opticians to check if you can see all the colours
properly.
Have a look at the topic 'Colour blindness' for more information.

How can cats see in the dark?

Well they can't actually see if there is
no light at all.
In very poor light a cat's pupils dilate
[they get bigger]. This means that more
light gets into the eye. Remember that
eyes see 'reflected' light? This means
that cats can see when it is very dark.
Owls have such big pupils that they can see really well at night, which is when they hunt for
food.
Human pupils get bigger too, but we can't see as well as cats can, because cats have a
"crystalline" layer in their eyes (this is explained in the next paragraph).

Why do animals' eyes shine in the dark?

Many animals have a special layer in their eyes. It is called a crystalline layer. If even a tiny
amount of light gets into their eyes, it gets reflected around inside their eyes so that they can see
it. It also means their eyes reflect light back, so that if a light shines on them, the reflection from
their eyes can be seen in the dark.
Have you noticed that when you use a flash to take a photo, sometimes the eyes of the person in
that photo look red? This is because their eyes are reflecting back the light, and since there are a
lot of blood vessels on the retina, the reflection looks red.

Historical Note
A clever man, Edwin Shaw of Halifax in England, noticed this and he made special 'cats eyes'
out of glass, set them into rubber, and you will find them in the middle of roads all over the
world, helping drivers see where the road goes.

How do your eyes play tricks on you?

On a hot day if you look into the distance, you may see things which are not really there because
heat has made the rays of light bend.
You may see 'water' lying on the road or you may see an object floating in the sky. This is called
a mirage (say mi-rarj).
Look at this picture.

What can you see? Con-cave means it looks like the hand in the picture has been pressed in,
con-vex means that the hand in the picture looks like it has been pressed out towards you.
Can you tell which is which?
Are you sure?
Look again. Your eyes are really playing tricks on you aren't they?
Look at the picture below
Put one finger next to the other, like it shows in the picture (about 30cms away from your eyes).
Then stare at the place where they meet for one minute.
Still staring, slowly move your fingers apart. You will see a finger floating in the air, as in the
second picture.

Look at these pictures.

Which line is longer?

Which person is bigger?

If you measure the length of the lines and the height of the people you will find that they are
exactly the same. Your eyes are playing tricks on you.
You can find out more about optical illusions if you type those words into your search engine.

Do you have any more questions about your

eyes?
If you have any other questions you could send us a message by clicking on the Feedback button
and writing down your question. We may then be able to put up something new in this topic.

DrKim says
Sometimes what you see may look blurry or fuzzy. You may not be able to see
things close to you or it may be hard to see things clearly if they are far
away. Tell mum, dad, or the teacher about it.

Your eyes could be playing tricks or they could be asking you for some help.

Eyes - how your eyes work

Contents

How a camera works

How your eye works
Inside your eye
Inside a cow's eye
Dr Kate says

Your eyes are like a wonderful kind of camera.

They take pictures of the world around you and send the pictures to your brain. Your brain works
out what your eyes are seeing. This happens from the moment that you open your eyes in the
morning to when you close your eyes at night.

How a camera works

The light rays from an object pass through the lens of the camera and get
recorded on a film or a computer chip.
Do you notice something about this drawing? Yes, the picture that is
recorded by the camera is upside down (of course, when you look at the
picture as a printed photo or on a computer screen, it is not upside
down.)

How your eyes work

Your eye works in a similar way to a camera - light passes through the lens of your eye and is
'recorded' on the back of your eye (the retina).

Do you notice something about this drawing? Yes, the picture that your eye takes is upside
down too!
Why don't you see things upside down?
Well, your eye sends the picture to your brain, and your brain turns the picture the right way up
and tells you what you are looking at. So you see things the right way up.

Inside your eye

What are the parts of your eye and what do they do?

Cornea (Cor-nee-a)
This is the see-through skin that covers the front of your eye. It is clear like glass and it has no
blood vessels in it.
Sclera (Sk-ler-a)
This is the tough skin which covers the outside of the eyeball (except for the see-through
cornea). We call it the 'white' of the eye.

Iris (eye-ris)
The iris controls the amount of light that enters the eye. The iris is the coloured part of your eye.
Pupil (pew-pil)
This is the hole in the coloured iris. It lets light into your eye. It gets very small in bright light,
and bigger in dull light.
The lens
The lens focuses light onto the retina. It changes shape to make sure that the 'picture' on the
retina is as clear as possible.
Retina (Ret-in-a)
This is like a movie screen which shows the picture you are seeing - upside down, remember?
The retina has two lots of cells called 'rods' and 'cones' (because that is what they look like.)
Rods can 'see' black and white. Cones can 'see' colours. They turn the picture into an electrical
message for the brain. Sometimes people don't see all the colours - look at our topic 'Colour
blindness' to find out more.
Blind spot
This is a bit of your retina which is not sensitive to light because there are no rods or cones there.
It is the spot where the optic nerve is joined on to the retina.
Optic nerve (op-tic)
The electrical messages from the retina travel along the optic nerve to your brain. It's a bit like
the cable that carries all the TV pictures from your aerial to your TV so that you can see the
programs. The great thing is that our eyes take these 'movies' all the time and we don't need any
film or camera.
Eyelids and Eyelashes
These protect your eyes. The eyelids can shut out light so that
you can sleep. They will shut very fast if they feel something that
is trying to get into your eye.
Eyelashes
Eyelashes are very sensitive, and if they feel dust coming they
trap it as your eyelids close.
Eyebrows
Eyebrows also help to keep dust and sweat out of your eyes.
Tear glands
These are small glands inside your upper eye lid. Their job is to
make tears to keep the surface of your eyeball clean and moist, and
help protect your eye from damage.
When you blink, your eyelids spread the tears over the surface of

the eye. Small things that are on your eye (like specks of dust) wash into the corner of your eye
next to your nose. Sometimes tears flow over your lower eyelid (when you cry, or you have hay
fever), but mostly the tears flow down a tiny tube at the edge of your lower eyelid, next to your
nose. (If you look very carefully you can see a tiny dot that is the beginning of that tube). This
tube carries the tears to the back of your nose (and this is why your nose 'runs' when you cry!)
Conjunctiva (con-junk-ty-va)
This is the lining on the inside of your eyelid and the outside of the front of your eye (except for
the special skin of the cornea). You can see some tiny blood vessels on the conjunctiva over your
eye. If your eyes get sore, these blood vessels get bigger and your eye looks red.
There are two lots of fluid in the eye.
Aqueous humour (ak-we-us)
Aqueous means water, and humour means fluid. This watery stuff fills the front of the eyeball
around the lens.
Vitreous humour (vit-re-us)
This is a thicker jelly-like liquid which fills the larger part of the eyeball and keeps it in shape.
(Vitreous means glassy, because the vitreous humour is very clear, so that light can pass through
it).
Ciliary muscles (sil-e-re)
These are a circle of tiny muscles around the lens. They change the shape of the lens by
squeezing and relaxing. They squeeze (making the lens fat) to look at nearby objects, and relax
(making the lens thinner) for far away objects.
Your eyes are very beautiful and also very clever, because all the different parts work together to
help you see!

Inside a cow's eye

If you ever get a chance to cut up a cow's eye in your science or health class, do it! It is very
interesting because it's very like the human eye, and is also very beautiful because there are lots
of beautiful colours inside. This is what you will see:
The retina

The retina lines the inside of the back and sides of the
eye. You can see the blind spot on the inside lining of
the eye (there is a little hollow and no blood vessels go
over the blind spot).

The lens

This looks like a thick jelly disc. It is made of lots of

thin layers of see-through cells (a bit like all the layers
in an onion).

You can hold it in a pair of tweezers and look through

it.
If you change the shape by squeezing it, you can see
how the image changes as you look through.
The iris

This is the coloured part of the eye. It has muscles that

change the size of the pupil to change the amount of
light coming into the eye.

The
muscles

You can see these all round the outside of the eyeball,
ready to move it in the direction the cow wanted to
look.

It really is interesting! (Well, it may be just a bit yucky too!)

Dr Kate says:
Eyes are really amazing. We need to look after them very carefully, because they are so
important.
Our topics on protecting your eyes and wearing glasses will help you.
Shading your eyes under a wide-brimmed hat and wearing sunglasses will protect your
eyes from the sun, especially in summer.

Eye can see butterflies,

Eye can see clouds
Eye can see TV
Eye can see crowds.
Eye can see truth
Eye can see lies
Eye can see feelings

In other people's eyes.

BH

Eyes - protecting your eyes

Contents

Some ways to look after your eyes

Exercise your eyes!
Sunglasses and hats
Safety for other people
Could you have a problem?
What happens next?
Dr Kate says

Eyes are very important to us, so we have to be careful to look after them. They show us our
world and they show others how we are feeling. When we talk to other people, we notice what
their eyes are saying as well as what they are saying with their mouths.
Can you think of times when you can tell by someone's eyes whether they are happy
or angry

or sad

Some people look away when they are bored.

Some people do not look at the other person's eyes when they talk, because in
some cultures it is thought to be rude.
What do you do with your eyes when you are listening to someone?
The main job that eyes do for us is to see. Here are a couple of words you
might want to know to understand about eyes.

'Sight' means being able to see (I can see something out there).
'Vision' means being able to understand what you are seeing (I know what it is - it is a
tree).

Some ways to look after your eyes

Because eyes are so precious, we need to really take care of them.

Take care to protect your eyes when you are playing, especially in sports, eg. wear
goggles for snow skiing, helmets and guards for cricket and baseball.
Turn on lights when it's getting dark (especially if you're reading).

Wear sunglasses and hats on bright days.

Tell your parent if your eyes are sore.
Tell your teacher if you can't see the blackboard/whiteboard or your book clearly.
Tell your teacher if the text is not clear.
Keep sunscreen away from your eyes - it really stings if it runs into your eyes.
Wear glasses if you need them.
Don't wear other people's glasses.
Your eyes get sore if you watch a computer or TV screen for too long, so do lots of
different things in your spare time (you need exercise, and so do your eyes).
Looking directly at the sun (or any really bright light, including lightning) can damage
your eyes.
Rubbing your eye if you get something in it can hurt your eye, so ask an adult to help
you.
Use the correct drops/medication for your eyes if you need them, and do not use ones that
someone else has used.

Exercise your eyes!

Reading, writing, using a computer, watching TV or staring at a small screen on a video game
can all make your eyes feel dry and tired.
Some doctors think that too much close work can even lead to short sightedness (myopia), which
means that you can only see things clearly when you are up close to them.
You can help your eyes by exercising them. Here are a few things you can try.

Every 20 minutes let your eyes take a break.

Look away from the page or screen and slowly blink your eyes 10 times.
Close your eyes and slowly roll your eyeballs round clockwise 2 times then 2 times anti
clockwise.
Look to the left then to the right 2 times with your eyes closed then do the same looking
up and down. Move your eyes slowly.
Look at something further away and focus on it while you count to 10 then look at the
screen or page while you count to 10. Do this 5 times.

The rest of your body needs a break too. Close your eyes and take 10 slow deep breaths holding
the air in for 10 before breathing out. Stand up and move around a bit. Roll your shoulders, bend
sideways and slowly roll your head around.
If you have problems seeing clearly your doctor or optometrist may give you some other
exercises which may help.

Sunglasses and hats

All children (and adults) should wear sunglasses if they are going to be in bright sun light
(babies usually don't wear sunglasses - they might poke the sunglasses in their eyes!)
Babies should be sheltered from the sun by a hat, shade umbrella or the shade of a tree or
roof.
It is important that everyone's eyes are protected from sun damage. Sunglasses should be
up to Australian standards to protect eyes from the sun. There will be a sticker telling you
this on the glasses. Wearing non-approved glasses could cause problems with your eyes.
Hats that shade the eyes are important.

Safety for other people

Here are some ways to help make sure you don't hurt anyone else's eyes.
Never

throw sand, dirt or small things at others

run with pointy things like pencils or scissors in your hands
fire anything at others, eg. Spud gun, peashooter, paper planes, etc.
spray insects or use any other kind of spray without warning others.

Can you think of other things that might hurt someone's eyes?
Injuries can easily happen, so you have to really think about what you are doing. Wouldn't it be
awful if someone's eyes were hurt and it was your fault?

Could you have a problem?

What if your eyes don't work properly or don't see as well as they should?
Lots of people have problems with their eyes. Sometimes you don't even know you have a
problem at first because you don't know that everyone else can see things differently.
Some people who have problems with their eyes say "I can see what they are doing, but I can't
see who is doing it". You can miss a lot of things if you can't see well.
Here are some things that might tell you that you are not seeing as well as you could:

You can't see the board.

Writing looks blurry.
Your eyes hurt or feel tired.
Your eyes feel hot, or they sting or twitch.
You get headaches when you've been reading or writing for a while.
It's hard to copy from the board.
You can't tell the difference between some colours.

You keep losing your place when reading or copying.

You need your book close up to your eyes to be able to read it.
When you look up from your work everything looks blurred or misty.

What to do
If you are worried or not sure if you have a problem with your eyes, tell your mum or your dad
or a teacher.

What happens next?

Your parents will probably arrange for you to have your eyes tested. This does not hurt, and it
helps to find out if there is anything wrong. You may need to see a special eye doctor or an
optician (say op-tish-an) for this.
Here are some of the things that an eye doctor or optician may suggest if your eyes need help:

doing special eye exercises.

wearing glasses for a short time.
wearing glasses for a long time.
wearing contact lenses. These can be great and you can get them in different colours, but
they take getting used to and you may have to keep getting new ones as you grow. It's
better to wait until you're older, then they'll last for a longer time (they're pretty expensive
too and they don't give your eyes as much protection from injury as glasses.) You can
also get disposable contact lenses when you're grown up if you prefer not to wear glasses
sometimes, eg when you are playing sport or dancing.

Dr Kate says:
Your body does its best to protect your eyes from damage. Now you know what you
can do to protect your eyes and keep them working well for you.