15 DECEMBER 2015
CONTACT LENSES
“I can see, I can see!” was my enthusiastic reaction when first wearing contact lenses out to a student club. Having to wear glasses since I was sixteen years old and refusing to wear the hideous frames out at night, it remains a mystery how I had previously managed to dance; order drinks or even navigate stairs. However, my choice in men prior to contact lenses may have reflected this temporary nocturnal short sightedness.
Therefore, I am very thankful for contact lenses. They provide sight correction without the need for extra apparatus or an appearance changing barrier, annoying smeared lenses which are never sparkling clean and as they fit over the eyeball, provide more accurate, safer vision mitigating the gaps in the periphery, which glasses wearers will be all too familiar with.
Humans do not actually see with eyes: we see with our brain. Light passes through various parts of the eye until the retina’s photoreceptor cells converts it into electrical signals. These are transmitted via the optic nerve for visual processing in the occipital lobe, which is located in the brain just above the back of the neck. The incoming information is put together inside our heads to create what we see on the outside. This is amazing enough, however, it is brilliant that through advancements in technology, the eye’s natural lens can be actually replaced or various parts of the visual cortex can be stimulated to help restore vision in humans – and our pet dogs! Until these procedures become more prevalent, thank you, contact lenses.