Did you know that children are born with almost full-size eyes? Well, human eyes are among the slowest growing organs of the body.
But why is this so?
The minimal growth is strategically meant to ensure a proportional face in adults. If the eyes were to grow at the same rate as other tissues, they would bulge out of their sockets leading to an undesirable body proportionality.
Do the Eyes Grow?
Yes, the eyes increase in size albeit with just a few millimeters. However, the development of these crucial organs can be gauged based on their ability to see.
When a child is born, they can barely see. However, the eyes learn to pick signals from the brain and form images. Even then, the initial stage of sight is characterized by blurred images.
As such, it is the improvement of sight that is ideal to measure the development of the human eyes and not the size.
How the Eyes Form
Every individual began life as a mass of cells implanted on the mother’s uterus. In fact, the actual size of the zygote is a full stop written on a white paper!
However, the cells undergo controlled division to form distinct organs. With time, the fetus develops all the required organs for human survival.
Your Eyes Were Once A Cell!
Every organ started as a single minute cell that grew to become a tangible organ. Different cells have the ability to develop into a unique organ. For example, the cells that develop into the eyes are unique and cannot form any other organ.
As such, any weakness in a specific group of cells can lead to a child being born with deformities due to poor organ formation.
When Do the Eyes Start Forming in the Womb?
Human eyes start developing from the third week after implantation. After the fourth week, special connectors known as nerves start to develop.
These connectors are crucial since they link the eyes to the brain. They send signals to the brain which helps in the process of image formation.
By the time a fetus is 10 weeks, the eyes will have fully developed with all the parts intact. They are significantly small at this stage considering that the entire fetus is slightly bigger than a strawberry.
The Physiology of Sight
After nine months, the eyes are almost the size as a large raspberry in size. What’s interesting is the fact that they only increase with a few millimeters after birth.
Immediately after birth, the child starts developing sight mechanisms. The brain starts learning how to turn information seen by the eyes into actual images. As a result, the vision is largely blurred until the brain-eyes coordination improves.
By the time the child is 8 weeks old, they can focus their eyes on items. When the child hits the third month, they can move their eyes with moving objects!
A five-month-old child can see colors. After the third year, the child’s vision will have developed to equal that of an adult.
Bottom Line
Human eyes are unique since they are almost full-size by the time of birth. However, they develop progressively to enable the child get a clear vision by their third birthday.
Also, you’re obliged to take optimum care of the precious organs to ensure that you maintain your vision for life!
