Dr. Chris Canny took us all on an illuminating crash course on how our eyes work, starting with the basic anatomy of the eye, comparing it to the structure of a house.

To make sure that we got the concepts, he asked us “Can a person be legally blind yet have a visual acuity of 20/20 (6/6)? The answer is of course ‘yes,’ and he explained why.

Chris talked about aging changes in the eye to consider like: dry eyes, objects blending into the background (loss of contrast sensitivity), spots or floaters in your vision, age-related macular degeneration (AMD, dry & wet forms), to name a few.

Chris shared the following: “Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glare are common concerns as we age, though glare is an issue that can affect all ages. AMD is one of a number of ocular disorders involving “The Aging Eye”. It is the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision impairment in developed countries; it cannot be cured but it can be controlled. Risk factors for developing AMD include increasing age, presence of what are called soft drusen, northern European ancestry, smoking and genetic factors. AMD very rarely causes total blindness, but it can lead to “legal blindness” and a significant impact on one’s lifestyle and independence. Treatments that are available and self assessment of one’s vision was presented. Management of glare and delayed adaptation to bright light was discussed along with the value of the use of polarized sunglasses throughout life.”

See below for some slides from Chris`s presentation:

To recap, we all “Saw the light” on how amazing our eyes are and that we need to take care of them. Firstly by having them evaluated to establish a baseline and then by getting periodic eye exams to check for changes in our vision which may signal issues that could benefit from proactive eye treatments or surgical procedures.

It was a fascinating talk and a glimpse into the world of an ophthalmologist.