Seven Interesting Eye Facts You Should Know

The human eye is a marvel of biology and technology, a complex organ that allows us to see and experience the world around us. From its intricate structure to its incredible abilities, the human eye is a fascinating subject that has captivated scientists, doctors, and enthusiasts for centuries. Every health enthusiast should know some interesting eye facts about the human body.

1. The human eye can distinguish between over a million different colors.

The human eye can detect a vast array of colors, ranging from deep red to bright violet. This ability is due to specialized cells in the retina called cones, which are sensitive to different wavelengths of light. People with normal color vision can distinguish between over a million colors, making the world around us dazzling and varied.

2. The human eye can detect light as dim as a single photon.

Photons are the smallest light units, and the human eye can detect them. Under the right conditions, such as when the eye is completely dark-adapted, the rods in the retina can detect a single photon of light. This remarkable sensitivity is due to the ability of the rods to amplify the signals they receive from light, making them able to detect even the faintest glimmer.

3. The human eye can change its focus up to 50 times per second.

The human eye is a remarkable piece of machinery that adapts to changing conditions in real-time. One of its most impressive abilities is quickly and accurately changing its focus, allowing us to easily see objects at different distances. This ability is controlled by the ciliary muscles, which alter the lens’s shape to adjust the eye’s focus.

4. The human eye has a blind spot.

Despite its many remarkable features, the human eye has a blind spot where the optic nerve enters the eye. This spot is where the nerves and blood vessels that supply the eye enter and exit, not covered by light-sensitive cells. However, the brain can fill in the missing information so that we are unaware of the blind spot.

5. The human eye can regenerate itself.

Unlike many other organs in the body, the human eye can regenerate itself to a certain extent. The outer layer of the eye, the cornea, can repair itself after an injury or scratch. The eye also contains stem cells that can differentiate into different types of cells, allowing for the potential regeneration of damaged tissue.

6. The human eye is an important indicator of overall health.

The eyes are often called the windows to the soul but are also an important indicator of overall health. Eye doctors can detect various conditions by examining the eyes, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. A routine eye exam can help to catch these conditions early, improving the chances of successful treatment.

7. The human eye is one of the most complex organs in the body.

The human eye is an incredibly complex organ comprising numerous interconnected structures and cells. Every part of the eye is finely tuned to perform a specific function, from the cornea and iris to the retina and optic nerve. It is estimated that over half of the brain’s resources are dedicated to processing visual information from the eyes, underscoring the importance of this remarkable organ.

View Video

In conclusion, the human eye is a fascinating and intricate organ that plays a vital role in our daily lives. From its remarkable sensitivity to light and color to its ability to regenerate and indicate overall health, the human eye is truly a marvel of biology and technology. Health enthusiasts can better appreciate this incredible organ and its role in our visual experience by understanding these interesting facts about the human eye.

Trust your eyes with award winning eye care at Levin Eye Care Center. Schedule your appointment today via text or a phone call to 219-659-3050.

Before vision therapy

Gretchen’s family had multiple discussions with the school regarding special education and being held back. They placed Gretchen in the school RTI (response to intervention) program regarding reading struggles. Gretchen was experiencing struggles in kindergarten with handwriting and had a hard time with reading sight words. Also, she lacked confidence and was down on herself for not doing as well as her twin sister.

Her family spent many hours helping Gretchen after school, and she continued to have challenges. Before starting kindergarten, Gretchen was evaluated by another pediatric eye specialist in Northwest Indiana. Still, surprisingly they did not diagnose Gretchen with any problems because there is a family history of visually learning-related challenges.

Gretchen’s grandmother is a retired teacher who previously had a student who was having struggles in kindergarten with the same issues but had success with the Levin Eye Care Center vision therapy program. She took an interest in her student’s eye care issues because the family has a history of double vision. She was glad she kept the Levin Eye Care Center paperwork and suggested we have Gretchen evaluated there.

This year (second grade), the school has asked if they could test Gretchen for reading impairment and other health impairment-vision due to falling behind her classmates. Gretchen did the first round of Vision Therapy and saw much improvement in her reading, sight words, spelling, and writing skills, but she needed additional vision therapy to catch up to her classmates.

After Vision Therapy

Gretchen now exhibits the following:

• Excels academically and is excited about school
• Mastering her sight words
• Receives A’s and B’s on the report card 
• Reading more fluently, mastering spelling tests, and writing better
• Boost in confidence, wants to go to school and enjoys doing her homework

Since completing the Levin Eye Care Center vision therapy program, Gretchen has had a fantastic work ethic and strong reading and listening comprehension. She enjoys working on her reading fluency and written expression. Gretchen appears to be happier overall with being successful in school and feels proud of herself for learning to read, doing well in math, mastering spelling tests, and reading books herself.

If your child or grandchild is having trouble in school and their future is a priority, make a positive change before it’s too late.

Protect your child’s future and schedule an appointment with our award-winning team at Levin Eye Care Center! 

Frequent headaches could be a symptom of an uncorrected vision problem or dry eye syndrome! That’s right, if you experience a lot of headaches, it would be worth your time to schedule an eye exam.

Digital Eye Strain and Headaches

Thanks to modern technology, we spend hours a day looking at bright screens, and a common price we pay for these fabulous conveniences is digital eye strain. Typical symptoms include blurred vision, tired and aching eyes, difficulty focusing, and — you guessed it — frequent headaches.

Eye strain doesn’t have to come from screens, either. A vision problem like hyperopia (farsightedness), presbyopia (age-related farsightedness), or astigmatism puts a lot of strain on the eye as it attempts to compensate. With astigmatism, the cornea is shaped abnormally, so it bends light in ways it shouldn’t, leading to a lot of squinting. That alone can sometimes contribute to headaches.

With hyperopia and presbyopia, the lens of the eye focuses images a bit behind the retina instead of right against it, which makes nearby objects look blurry. Trying to read small print quickly turns into a headache, sometimes literally. The older we get, the less flexible the lenses in our eyes become and this can happen to people who never needed glasses earlier in life.

The 20-20-20 rule can help Dry Eye and Digital Eye Strain!

View Video

Eye Problems Can Be a Headache for Kids Too

Kids with undiagnosed vision problems are as susceptible to frequent headaches as adults are. That’s just one of many reasons every child should have a comprehensive eye exam with a real eye doctor, not just a school nurse with a big E chart. There could be a vision problem besides basic refractive errors (like nearsightedness or farsightedness) causing them headaches, but kids wouldn’t be able to make that connection for themselves.

The Wonders of a Correct Prescription

The changes in our vision are gradual enough that they’re hard to notice. It might take months or years to really register how much harder it is to see distant details or read up close. Most people who experience headaches related to vision problems simply need an updated prescription for their glasses or contacts! This combined with treatment for dry eye syndrome can help improve patient’s quality of life and productivity at work and school.

When Headaches Are Tied to Sight-Threatening Conditions

One symptom of glaucoma (an eye disease that involves the buildup of pressure against the optic nerve, resulting in permanent vision loss) is headaches, and cataracts can also cause them. Cataracts develop as the proteins in the lens clump together, clouding the vision. Regular eye exams are essential for catching sight-threatening conditions early on.

A Dry Eye Syndrome Exam Is No Headache!

We all have busy schedules and it’s hard to find space for something like an eye appointment, but it’s worth it, especially for anyone suffering frequent headaches with no idea what’s causing them. You can cross eye problems off the list of potential causes by scheduling your next eye exam with the award-winning team at Levin Eye Care Center!

Contact Us Today!

Original Article Published in the Northwest Indiana Times on May 16th, 2021.

Dr. Steven Levin says what happened on April 16 came as a complete surprise. At the annual meeting of the Indiana Optometric Association, Levin received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indiana Optometric Association(IOA).

“I was very humbled and surprised to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Levin, a longtime Northwest Indiana optometrist at Levin Eye Care Center in Whiting. Levin said that in 50 years’ time the award has been given to just 14 people. In choosing recipients, the Indiana Optometric Association awards points in four categories, each with several qualifications that must be met.

Levin has been honored with other recognitions in his career:

• 2001 — Indiana Optometrist of the Year Award, the IOA’s highest award, for the member who has demonstrated contributions to the profession; service on behalf of the visual welfare of the public; and service to the community.

• 2002 — National Optometrist of the Year Award from the American Optometric Association, its highest award in the nation, for “leadership and foresight into children’s educational and public visual welfare initiatives and community service.”

• 2007—Elected to the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Practitioner. The nonprofit organization elects “distinguished professionals advancing interprofessional health care by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities.”

Levin, a board-certified member of the College of Optometrists of Vision Development, specializes in vision therapy as well as providing a broad range of optometric care. Vision therapy changes lives, Levin said. Some visual conditions need more than glasses, contact lenses and/or patching and are best resolved through a program of vision therapy rehabilitation.

Vision therapy is designed to correct eye-related deficiencies for all ages. The list is long and includes struggles with blurred vision, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, lazy eye, double vision, special needs, autism spectrum disorders, stress-related issues, motion sickness, hand-eye coordination, traumatic brain injuries, and more.

Levin said a common condition, visual stress with reading, can affect children’s academic performance. “Kids do a lot of close work on homework and on screens like iPads, computers and other devices. Reading skills are based on ocular high motor skills that can be affected by close screen work. That can bring visual problems for them.”

Vision therapy helps students see information, process it and use it. First, there’s in-office therapy to work on fine motor skills, then home therapy. “Students who were suffering academically have become excellent students,” Levin said, adding it’s just one reason regular eye exams are important. Levin said various visual problems affect at least 40% of children in the school system. “They may not even realize there’s a problem.”

Helping students do better in school and his dedication to resolving other vision problems are significant factors in the recognition Levin has received. “I’ve worked with so many people to change their lives — children with learning disabilities, people with traumatic brain injuries – to get them back to their work environment; helping people with stroke. We really do change lives with the rehabilitation we do.”

Levin, who graduated with honors from Illinois College of Optometry at Chicago, is also involved in many public organizations. “I believe in giving back.”

At 48 years and counting, Levin said: “It’s been a wonderful, rewarding career for me. Looking back on my career, I’ve been so blessed with my patients and with so many people I’ve met. My patients are phenomenal. I think about the children who are doing better in school now. I think of how it’s a privilege to be able to also serve the public.”

He’s quick to credit his staff. “We have a wonderful staff. You can tell because there are hundreds of five-star reviews online. We do a thorough job in all our evaluations. I pride myself on customer service and my associate Dr. Delia Malone feels the same way.”

Further corroboration is evident: The most recent first place rankings for Levin Eye Care Center in The Times of Northwest Indiana’s Best of the Region polls happened last year and this year. Levin said he intends to continue providing the best vision care for children and adults in the Region, with the same professional, compassionate care that has earned him the awards for excellence.

Levin Eye Care Center offers a full scope of optometric services with the latest technology available in the industry, providing eye wear designing and dispensing; contact lens fitting and follow-up, including disposable, bifocal and lenses for astigmatism; treatment of eye diseases and co-management of cataract surgery; laser vision correction (LASIK) co-management and consultation; sports vision enhancement and/or improvement; treatment for dry eye syndrome; and much more. “I love taking care of patients,” said Levin, expressing an award-winning approach to his practice.

Tears play a vital role in the health and function of our eyes. That’s what makes dry eye such a serious problem.

Tears serve as our eyes’ first line of defense against irritants like dust and germs, washing them away with every blink. They also enable our eyes to turn and swivel comfortably. When the tears run dry, our eyes are left itchy, irritated, red, and sometimes swollen. Millions of adults in the US alone suffer from dry eye. So why does this happen and what can we do about it?

Causes Of Dry Eye

The tear film in our eyes has a specific composition, consisting of an outer oily layer, a watery layer, and a mucous layer. There are several ways it can be disrupted, each resulting in dry eye. The overall tear production can decrease, tear evaporation can increase due to a disruption of the oily layer, or the composition can become imbalanced. These problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Medications like antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants, birth control pills, and others
• Advancing age
• Autoimmunie disorders
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy and after menopause
• Dry, windy, or smoky environments
• Seasonal allergies
• Long periods spent staring at a screen, which can reduce blinking frequency

Relief For Dry Eyes

Whatever the cause is behind dry eye, it’s important to treat it so that it doesn’t have a chance to get worse. Dry eyes are more vulnerable to getting scratched and infected, and without enough tears, vision can become blurred. If your dry eye is the result of too much screentime, try to take frequent breaks and remember to blink normally. For other causes, artificial tears (eye drops) are a great solution.

You can also incorporate more foods rich in Vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids into your diet, such as liver, carrots, broccoli, fish, and walnuts. These are important nutrients for eye health and tear production. You might also want to switch from contact lenses to glasses.

Make an appointment today and come See us!

Your best chance of getting your tears flowing again is to come see us so that we can determine the cause of your dry eye and find the treatment that will give you the best results. We can also make sure that the dryness hasn’t led to additional complications.

We love having you as our patient!