Have you ever wondered how we can see everything around us, from the stars in the sky to the colourful flowers in the garden? It’s all thanks to our eyes. Let’s take a fun journey to learn how our eyes work.
The eye is like a camera
Think of your eye like a camera. Just like a camera captures pictures, your eyes capture everything you see. But instead of a film inside the camera, your eye has a special part called the retina where all the magic happens.
Light comes in through the eye
When you look at something, light bounces off that thing and enters your eye through a part called the pupil. The pupil is the dark circle in the middle of your eye. It gets bigger or smaller depending on how much light is around. On a sunny day, the pupil gets smaller to protect your eyes, but in the dark, it gets bigger to let in more light.
The lens focuses everything
Behind your pupil, there’s a clear, curved part called the lens. The lens works like the lens of a camera—it focuses the light so that the picture you see is clear and sharp. It helps you see both far away and up close by changing shape.
The retina sends a picture to the brain
At the back of your eye, there’s a special layer called the retina.
The retina is full of tiny cells that catch the light and turn it into signals.
The images captured by the retina are upside down, these signals travel to the optic nerve, which is like a messenger that sends the signals to your brain.
Your brain then puts everything together and puts the picture upright and lets you “see” the world around you.
The iris helps control the light
The iris is the coloured part of your eye. It helps control how much light gets into your eye.
The iris can be green, brown, blue, or any other colour. It works like the curtain in a window, opening and closing to let just the right amount of light in so you can see clearly.
The eyelids and tears keep your eyes safe
Your eyelids are like little shields for your eyes. They blink to keep dust and dirt out and spread tears across your eyes to keep them moist and comfortable. These tears also help wash away any tiny things that might hurt your eyes.
What to eat
It is important to have a good diet to keep your eyes healthy. Make sure you eat lots of foods with Vitamin A and C like carrots, sweet potatoes, berries, mangoes, leafy greens, bell peppers and eggs. Nuts, seeds and oily fish like salmon are also good to keep your eyes shining bright and healthy.
Cool facts
Did you know that your eyes can adjust to darkness in about 20 minutes? So, if you go into a dark room and wait for a little while, your eyes will help you see better in the dark.
Now that you know how your eyes work, you can think of them like the best little cameras ever, helping you see the world in all its wonderful colours and details.
Keep taking good care of your eyes and they’ll help you explore the world for many years to come.
