×

Covid - 19 Update

Click Here
Close
Blue Valley Vision of Overland Park

2 Locations: 151st and 135th

2 Locations

BVV of OP on 151st

913-681-2624

8007 West 151st

Overland Park, KS 66223

BVV of OP on 135th

913-808-5830

8641 W. 135th St.

Overland Park, KS 66223

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • Schedule Appointment
  • Contact Us
  • Our Practice
    • Meet Dr. Fose
    • Meet Dr. Strong
    • Meet Dr. Bono
    • Meet Dr. Sowash
    • Meet Lori
    • Meet Sara
    • Meet Kim
    • Meet Grace
    • Meet Monica
    • Meet Jerry
    • Meet Claudia
    • Meet Lisa
    • Meet Kim
    • Join our TEAM!
  • Insurance and Forms
    • Accepted Insurances
    • New Patient Forms
  • Eye Exams
    • Vision Wellness Exam
    • Medical Eye Exam
    • Emergency Eyecare
  • Eyeglasses + Contacts
    • Contact Lenses
    • Eye Glasses
    • Brands We Carry
  • Blog
  • Articles
    • Common Eye Conditions
      • Age-Related
      • Eye Lids
      • Cognitive and Acquired
      • Vision Impairment
      • Injury & Irritation
      • Changes in Appearance
    • Contact Lenses
    • Eye Diseases
    • Eyeglasses
      • Eyeglass Lenses
    • Eye Symptoms
    • How the Eyes Work
      • Basic Visual Skills
    • Pediatric Vision
    • Protecting Your Eyes
    • Visual Rehabilitation
    • Vision Problems
    • What is Vision Therapy
    • Vision Therapy Programs
    • We Can Help With
      • Cataracts
      • Corneal Disorders
        • Disorders
      • Glaucoma
      • Refractive Disorders
      • Adult Strabismus
      • Retinal Disorders
    • Newsletters
      • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
      • Medical Perspectives
      • Kid's Vision
      • Conditions That Affect Vision
      • Tips for Healthy Eyes
      • Contacts
      • Glasses & Frames
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • Newsletters >
  • A Look at the Human Eye

A Look at the Human Eye

  • Created in Newsletters

Human eye

How the Human Eye Works

Seeing is possible thanks to a complicated series of events that start in the eyes and end in the brain. The entire process happens almost instantaneously and is only successful if every part of your visual system works properly.

It All Starts with the Cornea

Your cornea, a clear, rounded layer of tissue that covers your pupil and iris, helps light reach your eyes by bending the rays as they enter your pupils.

The iris and pupil work together to let light into the eye. Have you noticed that your pupils look bigger when the light is dim? Tiny muscles in the iris make the pupil bigger when it's harder to see, allowing more light to enter your eyes. The muscles shrink the size of your pupils when it's bright outside or inside.

The Lens Is Essential for a Clear Picture

Light rays pass through the lens and the vitreous humor after entering the eye. The lens is a transparent disc located inside the eye under the iris and pupil, while the vitreous is the clear gel that gives the eye its shape.

The muscles that control the shape of the lens relax, causing the lens to flatten when you look at an object in the distance. The opposite happens when you look at something nearby. The muscles contract, thickening the lens. The ability of the lens to change shape allows you to shift your focus from near to far objects and back again.

The lens focuses light rays on the retina in the back of the eye. If your eyeball is too long, the rays will focus in front of the retina, causing myopia, or nearsightedness. If you're nearsighted, close objects are easy to see, while everything in the distance looks blurry.

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when your eyeball is too short. Light rays focus beyond your retina and make your near vision blurry.

As you get older, the lenses of your eyes become less flexible. The loss of flexibility affects your ability to see near objects clearly. This condition, called presbyopia, usually begins in your early- to mid-forties, according to the American Optometric Association. Fortunately, a pair of reading glasses will make it much easier to read a book or thread a needle.

The Retina Transforms Light Rays

The retina covers the back of the eye and contains two types of photoreceptor cells. The rods, found in the outer part of the retina, are essential for side vision and help you see in dim light. Cones, the other type of photoreceptor cells, are located in the macula, the center part of the retina. Cones are needed for color vision and also help you see fine details easily.

The retina turns light rays into electrical impulses, then sends the impulses to the occipital lobe of the brain through the optic nerve. Problems with your retinas or optic nerve can affect your vision.

If you have macular degeneration, a common age-related eye condition, your central vision may be blurry or you may notice blank spots in the middle part of your vision. Increased eye pressure due to glaucoma can damage your optic nerve, causing partial or total loss of vision.

How Your Brain Helps You See

The visual cortex in the brain's occipital lobe serves as the vision command center. The cortex processes and stores images and helps you make sense of what you see. Thanks to your brain, you can recognize faces, colors, letters, and shapes. You can also see fine details, avoid obstacles, keep your balance, predict the speed of moving objects, remember the things you've seen in the past, and easily recall information after reading it.

Your brain also controls the muscles that move your eyes and turns the slightly different information received from each of your eyes into one clear image.

If a stroke, tumor, infection, disease, or head trauma injures the brain, your vision and your ability to understand what you see can be temporarily or permanently affected.

Annual visits to the optometrist help you ensure that every part of your visual system is working properly. Contact our office if you're ready to schedule your next eye exam.

Sources:

American Optometric Association: Adult Vision: 41 - 60 Years of Age

National Eye Institute: How the Eyes Work

American Optometric Association: How Your Eyes Work

American Macular Degeneration Foundation: How the Eye Works as a Camera

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Eye Anatomy: Parts of the Eye and How We See, 3/9/21

  • Common Eye Conditions
    • Age-Related
    • Eye Lids
    • Cognitive and Acquired
    • Vision Impairment
    • Injury & Irritation
    • Changes in Appearance
  • Contact Lenses
  • Eye Diseases
  • Eyeglasses
    • Eyeglass Lenses
  • Eye Symptoms
  • How the Eyes Work
    • Basic Visual Skills
  • Pediatric Vision
  • Protecting Your Eyes
  • Visual Rehabilitation
  • Vision Problems
  • What is Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy Programs
  • We Can Help With
    • Cataracts
    • Corneal Disorders
      • Disorders
    • Glaucoma
    • Refractive Disorders
    • Adult Strabismus
    • Retinal Disorders
  • Newsletters
    • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
    • Medical Perspectives
    • Kid's Vision
    • Conditions That Affect Vision
    • Tips for Healthy Eyes
    • Contacts
    • Glasses & Frames

Contact Us

We look forward to hearing from you.

Featured Links

Click to find out more

  • Services

    We strive to provide complete care for our patients. Learn more about all the services we provide.
    Learn More
  • Make an Appointment

    We will do our best to accommodate your busy schedule. Schedule an appointment today!
    Schedule Now
  • Online Forms

    Our patient forms are available online so they can be completed at your convenience.
    View Forms

Hours of Operation

Our Regular Schedule

BVV of OP on 151st: 913-681-2624

Monday:

9:00 AM-5:00 PM

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

Dr. Strong

Tuesday:

11:00 am-7:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 2-3 PM

Dr. Strong

Wednesday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

No Doctor

Thursday:

11:00 am-7:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 2-3 PM

Dr. Fose

Friday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

Dr. Fose

Saturday:

9:00 am-1:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

BVV of OP on 135th: 913-808-5830

Monday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

Dr. Sowash

Tuesday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

Dr. Fose

Wednesday:

11:00 am-7:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 2-3 PM

Dr. Strong

Thursday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

No Doctor

Friday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Closed for Lunch 1-2 PM

Dr. Sowash

Saturday:

2nd Sat of month only

9:00 am-1:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

2 Locations: 151st and 135th

Click to see addresses

Testimonials

Reviews From Our Satisfied Patients

  • "A friendly, caring and professional staff made the exam quick and thorough. Definitely a go-to resource for eye care needs."
    Patrick H. Overland Park, KS
  • "Super helpful and professional. The doctor and staff really go above and beyond with service and care. Highly recommended."
    John M. Overland Park, KS

Featured Articles

Read up on informative topics

  • Vision Loss and Mental Health

    Feeling depressed after vision loss? ...

    Read More
  • Treatment Options for Presbyopia

    Over 40 and finding it hard to see close-up? One of these presbyopia treatment options could improve your vision. ...

    Read More
  • Summertime Allergies and Your Eyes

    Do you know how to treat your summertime eye allergy symptoms? ...

    Read More
  • Signs You May Have Macular Degeneration

    Could changes in your central vision be caused by macular degeneration? ...

    Read More
  • Glaucoma and You: The Importance of Eye Exams

    Want to avoid vision loss due to glaucoma? Schedule a visit with the eye doctor. ...

    Read More
  • Important Healthy Eye Habits for Kids

    Want to keep your kids' eyes as healthy as possible? Try these tips. ...

    Read More
  • Healthy Vision Month

    Get ready for Healthy Vision Month by upgrading your vision habits. ...

    Read More
  • Presbyopia eye drops

    Would you like to stop squinting when you look at close objects? A new kind of eyedrops can improve presbyopia, an age-related vision problem. ...

    Read More
  • Dry Eye

    Sometimes your eyes don’t make enough tears or the tears evaporate too fast because they don’t have the right amount of compounds in them. This is called dry eye. Up to 5% of Americans complain of some form of dry eye. Individuals who wear contact lenses or have undergone LASIK or other types of ...

    Read More
  • Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

    Similar to a bruise under the skin, a subconjunctival hemorrhage happens when a small blood vessel located between the sclera (white portion of an eye) and the conjunctiva (lining on the surface of an eye) breaks and covers the sclera with blood. Unlike broken blood vessels located under the skin which ...

    Read More

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Sign up for more articles

Social Media

  • Copyright © 2022 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map