Perhaps at some point in your life you have wondered why some people or yourself narrow your eyes. eyes to see better. If this is the case, you are in luck as there is a scientific explanation for this situation that occurs throughout the day and on several occasions.
The first thing to note is that the eye It is made up of different parts: iris, pupil, lens, cornea, retina, optic nerve, macula, sclera, vitreous gel, as well as various ligaments and blood vessels. This complex system of parts makes it possible to capture information from the outside and another complex system causes the information to be translated to the brain..
What does this have to do with the act of squinting? In general terms, the eye works like a camera lens only in a much more refined and automatic way. Obviously it has its limitations and they become more noticeable as time goes by due to the aging of all the parts that make up the eye.
The pupil and iris are the outermost parts of the eye. The pupil is the opening in the colored part of the eye, iris, this opening can be translated as the diaphragm of a camera. The iris controls its size, opening or closing the pupil, in response to the light. Come on, open or close the diaphragm to get the right amount of light in.
The reason behind squinting to see better is purely scientific.
In case of having a minimum knowledge about photography or cameras, we know that open diaphragms offer less sharpness in the entire image field than closed ones. In fact, photographs at f/1.8 have the background blur effect while one taken at, for example, f/16 will have both the background and the main object or subject in focus.
Starting from this, what is achieved by squinting is helping to focus this organ. Yes, neither more nor less. By narrowing our eyes we are offering gradual help when it comes to focusing on what is both far and near. Come on, what is achieved is to adjust with greater precision the amount of light that hits the retina.
And, it is that, in order to see, it is necessary that the greatest amount of light goes to the retina. This may sound complicated since, logically, one can think that in these cases what the eye should do is keep the pupil open as wide as possible so that the greatest amount of light always enters and, therefore, there is a greater chance that reach the retina.
But it is that this would be completely counterproductive since, to form an image, it is necessary that the light that arrives has been focused correctly. Come on, there is no use having a lot of light if it is impossible to distinguish the source from where it is originating and it is the retina that is in charge of focusing this light.
Squinting helps better focus light on the retina, allowing you to see more clearly. When there is too much light, squinting reduces the amount of light entering the eye, helping to reduce glare and glare. In low light, squinting helps increase the amount of incoming light directed at the retina.
Additionally, the act of squinting also changes the way light is focused in the eye. By narrowing his eyes, he human eye it becomes more like a camera obscura, helping to focus light onto a central point on the retina, which in turn improves image sharpness and clarity.
This is not all as squinting also helps reduce optical aberrations in the human eye. Optical aberrations are small imperfections in the shape of the eye that can affect the quality of vision. These aberrations are among other things the differences in size or shape of the parts of the eye of each person.
It is interesting to note that the squinting technique doesn’t work equally well for everyone. Some people may have vision problems that are not resolved by squinting, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. In these cases, it is important to see an ophthalmologist to receive adequate treatment.
On the other hand, the squinting technique is not a permanent solution for vision problems. If you have vision problems, it’s important to take steps to correct them, such as wearing glasses or having eye surgery. Squinting is not a long-term solution and it can be detrimental to eye health if done for long periods of time.
In short, squinting can be a useful technique to improve vision in certain situations. But it is important to remember that this technique is not a solution permanent for vision problems and should not be used as a substitute for an eye problem. It is important to go to an ophthalmologist to receive a proper diagnosis and treatment.
