How We are Biologically Engineered to Protect Our Eyes

We humans have evolved over millions of years with the adoption of certain behaviours and qualities that are vital for our very survival. From our hardwired tendency to form close relationships with others to our instinct to hunt and gather, the human mind and body have developed a natural knack for self-preservation. This includes various biological mechanisms designed to stop any harm coming to our eyes.

Like our brains, the human eye is an impressive feat of biological engineering. It has over two million working parts, all of which contribute to providing us with a detailed view of the world around us. Moreover, our eyes have built-in mechanisms for protecting themselves and ensuring they are always able to carry out their crucial function.

The Eye’s Protective Mechanisms

Our eyes serve us well throughout the entirety of our lives, from birth and childhood to middle age and right through to our golden years. While they might seem frail and sensitive – and indeed, we are hardwired to treat them as such – they are, in fact, biologically engineered to be surprisingly hardy and resilient.

So, let’s take a closer look at some of the ways our eyes developed to protect themselves.

A hard and resilient surrounding

Let’s start with the orbit – the bony cavity in which the eyeball, along with its connecting muscles, nerves, and blood vessels, sits. This cave-like structure surrounds the majority of the eye which, alongside the eyelids, leaves only a sixth of its total surface area visible from the outside.

This helps to protect the eyes from external threats such as dust and debris, but also from physical trauma. The orbital bone is adept at absorbing powerful blows, which can be demonstrated if you’re unlucky enough to wind up in a fight that results in a black eye. Not only does the bone around the eye help to protect the soft ball of fluid from trauma, but the surrounding tissue (which will likely become swollen and bruised) is quickly able to recruit nutrients from the body to accelerate healing.

But thankfully, you don’t have to risk a fist to the face to witness the amazing protective power of the eye for yourself.

Covert protection from smaller threats

When it comes to protecting our eyes, most of us are less concerned about being socked in the face than we are about being poked right in the eyeball. Thankfully, there are equally effective mechanisms in place to help protect us from free-flying fingers, debris, and smaller objects.

The eyelids and eyelashes play a vital role in our eyes’ ability to protect themselves. They are essentially the eyes’ automatic windscreen wipers, constantly at work to protect our peepers from dust, pollen, and other debris that floats around in the air around us.

The lacrimal gland, located behind the upper eyelid, provides the equivalent of wiper fluid – a lubricating substance that our eyelids effectively sweep across the surface of the eye each time we blink. This is known as the tear film.

The tear film not only prevents the eyes from drying out, but it is also vital for keeping the surface of the eye nourished and free from foreign matter. Moreover, it has antibacterial properties that help to prevent infection. This process is constantly ongoing. Old tears are drained from the eye through ducts in the inner corners. From here, this fluid travels into the back of the nose and throat and is replaced by new fluid from the lacrimal gland.

Finally, a structure called the conjunctiva – a thin, transparent membrane that lines the inner eyelids and the outer surface of the eye – allows the smooth opening and closing of the eyelids. This further helps to protect the eye from dust, debris, and infection-causing microorganisms. The membrane is so sensitive that as soon as it becomes aware of any foreign body, it automatically triggers tearing, blinking or even powerful sneezing to bring yet another layer of protection into action!

Going Against Your Natural Instincts

While our eyes and brains might be biologically hardwired to protect it, many people are unfortunately still affected by impaired vision. This might be due to lifelong short-sightedness and astigmatism, or age-related presbyopia. Notably, for many, the best solution to this problem might be to go against our instincts altogether.

Let’s face it, we all have a natural aversion to anything coming close to our eyes – whether it be sand, insects, or even our own fingers. Yet, contact lenses – which involve sticking a finger into our eyes every day – have become one of the most popular methods of vision correction.

Let’s take Laser Eye Surgery, for example. Surely, aiming a laser into our eyes should go against every survival instinct we have! And yet, this may just be the safer and more effective option of the two! After all, contact lenses – while often effective – come with several downsides.

So, even though your instincts to keep everything away from your peepers might tell you otherwise, your frustration with glasses and concern about the risks of contact lenses might finally lead you to consider Laser Eye Surgery. And it might just be the best thing you ever did.

Humans have developed far more than just incredibly complex and impressive visual systems. In fact, the most impressive attribution of our species is the human brain. It has helped us to better understand the world around us (thanks to more than just our vision), allowed us to build remarkable civilisations and, of course, to develop state-of-the-art technology – all of which have consistently led to improvements in our quality of life. And Laser Eye Surgery is no exception.

Embrace new and improved vision

Technological developments mean that we humans are caught in a constant battle between science and nature. Our nature might, understandably, tell us to avoid pointing lasers into our eyes. And yet, our aptitude for science has shown us that such a procedure is not only extremely safe, but also potentially life-changing – in the best possible way.

To date, millions of people with long-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism, and even presbyopia, have discovered the benefits of Laser Eye Surgery. And the best news? Aside from potentially causing some anxiety before the procedure, Laser Eye surgery poses little threat to our eyes.

So, while you may experience a knee-jerk fear reaction at the thought of Laser Eye Surgery, it turns out that our built-in desire to protect our eyes and vision might actually benefit from going against our instincts. In the case of Laser Eye Surgery, exposing your eyes – at least for a few minutes – could help to give you clear vision for decades to come.

If you’d like to learn more about Laser Eye Surgery could help to correct your refractive error, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today!