What Is Your Vision?

by Terri Kammerzell

Truth of Genesis Ministry Partner

Yesterday (October 8) was “World Sight Day,” a day set aside all over the world to promote eye health and to raise awareness for the struggles brought on by blindness and other visual impairments. It seems clear, then, that I should focus this week’s blog post on my Fun Fact about the human eye:

What makes the human eye unique?
The human eye is situated backwards so we don’t always have to look through a pool of blood.

I know there are a few ways I could go here, and you would probably see any of them coming: I could devote the next few paragraphs to the high importance of seeing the world clearly through the lens of the Bible. I could write to you about the ironies of 20/20 being hindsight, yet the year 2020 has taught us invaluable lessons on foresight. Or I could clarify the importance of a backward eye and highlight some of the other fascinating design features of our eyes. My choice: number three!

Why, exactly, are our eyes backwards? Technically, it isn’t the eyes themselves that are backwards, but the wiring. When you look at your eyes in a mirror, you see the beautiful “storefronts” that God has created, with the lenses, pupils, irises, and corneas. But behind those, there are photoreceptors that face the retinas, which are thin layers of tissue that line the backs of the eyes. When light hits the retinas, it activates photocells. These highly active photocells require nutrients found in the blood, so pools of blood are stored between the lenses and the photoreceptors, with the photoreceptors facing the back wall of the eyes. If the photoreceptors faced forward, or if the pools of blood were between the photoreceptors and retinas, our vision would always be tainted by those pools of blood.

But did you also know?

• Our eyes are extensions of our brains, and their job is to send signals to our brains. Our brains store the signals and then piece them together like a puzzle to make sense of them. Even when our eyes are closed, our brains are still active, making pictures from the signals our eyes have previously processed.
• In some ways, our eyes function like camera lenses, but much more efficiently. They autofocus, changing shape as needed; they sharpen images along their edges; they adjust automatically for brightness or darkness; and they are self-cleaning, self-lubricating, and self-repairing.
• An examination of our eyes can signal eye doctors when more serious health risks are present, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and even an impending heart attack.
• Not only were our eyes built “automatically” in the womb, but every animal has something special about the eyes God gave it. For example, owls have more rods and cones to help them see better at night. Flies have compound eyes which help them “sense” things from a wider circumference. And beavers have two sets of eyelids, which we will discuss more in the spring.

Indeed, although the “backward design” of the human eye has often led unbelievers to cite it as an example of “chance” evolution, in reality, the irreducible complexity of our eyes point to a very creative and thoughtful Designer! Take good care of your eyes and remember: your brain stores the images it receives from your eyes. Be sure those images bring glory to God!

Matthew 6:22 (ESV) “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light...

Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/humanBody/eye.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more! This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.