10 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Eyes

Our eyes are precious and so important in our daily lives! We learn through them from a young age; they help keep us safe by allowing us to see danger ahead but, there is also so much more to them than meets the eye. Wink!

Here are 10 interesting facts about your eyes you may not know:

1. It takes more than 50% of our brain’s functionality to see. Our eyes are so complex that more than half of the neurons in our brain are involved directly or indirectly. In fact, more neurons are dedicated to vision than to all other senses combined!

2. The muscles of the eyes that allow us to look in every direction, are the most active and the fastest muscles in our entire body.

3. On average, we blink between 8 and 21 per minute while we are resting. The average decreases to 4.5 blinks/minute while we read and the number of blinks increases during a conversation.

4. Your eyes can get sunburned. Symptoms include: pain, redness, blurred vision, scratching or sand in the eyes, dry eye, swelling, sensitivity to light, headache, perception of halos, small pupils and a temporary loss of vision. Good quality sunglasses are recommended when outdoors.

5. Men are more often affected by color blindness. The anomaly of color vision is more prevalent in men than in women.

6. Have you ever stopped to see the forest during a hike? Ever notice how many vibrant shades of greens there are? Turns out, the human eye sees more shades of green than any other colour.

7. We read up to 25% slower on a computer screen than on paper. Criteria that influence our reading speed include: the brightness of the screen, font size, contrast, etc. We also blink less when we stare at a computer for a long time, which can cause eyestrain.

8. During an eye exam, the optometrist can detect certain health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

9. Our eyes are made up of different parts that ensure that they work properly. Only one sixth of the eye is exposed.

10. 80% of vision impairment worldwide is curable. IRIS does their part to help! Since 2007 IRIS has supported IRIS Mundial as a main sponsor. IRIS Mundial is an organization that helps improve ocular health in developing countries by organizing missions and setting up clinics in countries like Haiti, Peru and Senegal.

To learn more about your eyes, your ocular health or to find out how you can help with IRIS Mundial, make an appointment or visit your nearest IRIS store.

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CARP members receive exceptional benefits at IRIS:

• $150 towards any complete pair of prescription eyewear (frame and lenses valued at $250 or more) or prescription sunglasses
• $50 towards the purchase of an annual supply of contact lenses
• $50 towards non-prescription sunglasses valued at $100 or more
• $500 towards vision correction procedures at our ophthalmology clinic in Laval, Quebec
• $25 towards the purchase of 3 or more bottles of Eye Omega Benefits 240 Gel Caps

Register with CARP and receive your IRIS Benefits. Visit www.carp.ca.