Surprising Facts About the Eye

Psalm 139:14
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.”

Our eyes do more work and tell more about us than many people realize. These amazing organs are so closely tied in to the brain that they have been referred to as part of the brain.

Your eyes were among your first organs to form. Within four weeks of fertilization, an unborn infant’s eyes begin to form. Interestingly enough, many newborns can move their eyes independently of each other, which can be a shock to unsuspecting parents. Usually the eyes are working together within a few months. However, those eye muscles will get more of a workout during our lifetimes than any other voluntary muscle. During any 24-hour period, our eyes will move about 100,000 times. That’s equivalent to walking 50 miles every day!

Studies have shown that people with dark eyes generally have faster reaction times than people with light-colored eyes. Brown-eyed people generally are better at tennis while blue-eyed people generally do better at golf. Our eyes secrete different kinds of tears. Normal tears contain bacteria-fighting chemicals produced by cells in the lining of the eyelid. Emotional tears contain hormones released by the body in response to stress, including a natural painkiller. One more eye fact: The vitamin A in carrots is necessary for the proper working of the rods in your eye. The rods themselves are responsible for night vision. On a clear, dark night a healthy eye can see the light from a single candle 25 miles away!

As the Bible exclaims in praise of God, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I thank You that You spared nothing in making me. And when sin had taken me, I thank You that You spared nothing, including Your own life, for my salvation. Let my life thank and praise You. Amen.

Notes:
McCutcheon, M. 1989. The Compass in Your Nose . . . . Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher. p. 101.