The best news about eyes & Birmingham

Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, Kevin Spacey, Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz, Robert Redford & Liam Neeson give nature a voice in this series of thought provoking videos of our amazing planet. Watch the films at: www.ConservationInternational

How about natural vision without glasses & contact lenses?

 

Patient: "Every time I drink a cup of tea I get a pain in my eye. Is it an allergy?"

For more reviews: see lasereyesurgerybirmingham.com/about/testimonials and iWantGreatCare 

Eye colour is determined by complex genes which determine how much melanin pigment there is in the iris of the eye (see Eye colour facts #1: What causes blue / brown eyes). Eye colour inheritance is more complicated than when simple charts were used to supposedly predict the eye colour of children based on the eye colour of their parents. Each of our parents gives us one gene forming a pair. No single pair of genes determines eye colour, it is rather a complex interaction of many genes some of which enhance or inhibit the expression of others.

Generally it's likely that two brown-eyed parents will have a brown eyed child and two blue-eyed parents are unlikely to have darker-eyed children. But inheritance is so complex that two blue-eyed parents can have a brown-eyed child and vice versa. And to complicate matters further a baby's blue eyes may turn brown as he / she ages and more melanin is deposited in his / her iris.

Of course there is a spectrum of eye colours from hazel and green through blue to grey ...

This great Christmas ad shows Cadbury workers preparing tonnes of chocolate in its Birmingham Bournville factory in the countdown to Christmas. The truck drivers line up their purple trucks numbered 1 to 24 to form a huge advent calendar. Then they head off to give it away! 

The good news is that for each of the 24 days of Christmas, a truck full of chocolate will be sent from Bournville to share the joy with an unsuspecting UK town!

See: https://youtu.be/S1UdCPVdJEo

The amount of melanin pigment found mainly in cells called melanocytes in the iris of the eye determines the colour. So babies can be born with blue eyes which turn brown as they get older and more melanin is deposited in the iris. And green eyes are an inbetween colour with a moderate amount of melanin.

Is eye colour inherited?

Thank you, Barry for the card and your kind words. We're pleased you "can see clearly now the (cataract) is gone ..." Apologies to Jimmy Cliff & Johnny Nash.

 

For more reviews, see iWantGreatCare

Patient: "I see spots in front of my eyes."
Receptionist: "Have you ever seen a doctor?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

But seriously, if you do suddenly see spots, they may be floaters. For more information, see: lasereyesurgerybirmingham.com/floaters

Have you ever wondered where all those good intentions go? THE MUSEUM OF PROCRASTINATION is full of our dust covered, unused gym memberships, neglected inventions, ideas & desires. Are your wishes going to gather dust in the museum too? See HSBC's clever ad: vimeo.com/141662569

... and thank you to everyone who has written a review at iWantGreatCare.org

95% of pumpkins grown in the UK aren't eaten, but they're great eye food with low calories, high in fibre, vit A, lutein & antioxidants.

So try a pumkin soup, roast them or add to a salad and give your eyes the nutrients they need to see well. Give your eyes "pumpkin vision"!

Should have iLASIK!

Thank you for your kind words & we're pleased that you're enjoying clear vision after your cataract surgery.

The lens surgery team

Should have had LASIK or lens replacement instead!

ARE ANGRY EYES IN OUR GENES?

Certain genes make  some people more trustworthy and empathetic & the same genes affect the develpment of the emotional center of our brains & results in crypts on the iris of our eyes (see more). Other genes which help neurons in our brains link together are associated with furrows on the iris, neurotic & impulsive behaviour and give rise to cravings like alcoholism. These furrows are contraction lines on the outer aspect of the iris which are more visible with a dilated pupil.

So, our eyes are indeed windows to our souls.

Click here & here for references to the scientific data.

Swedish researchers from Orebro University found that subjects with more crypts (pits) on on their irises were likely to be tender, warm and trusting. The link may be genetic and physiological as the Pax6 gene causes changes in both the iris and the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain which is an area which regulates empathy and emotion. So our eyes may well be the window to our souls!

Iris crypts and other features are unique to each eye and person. The chance that 2 eyes have the same iris pattern is 1 in 3 493 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 (there are only 14 000 000 000 eyes on earth). So iris recognition is used for identification at airports and in laser eye surgery to ensure that your laser treatment is correct and unique to you personally (click to read more ...). 

The diversity and uniqueness of our eyes reflects the the diversity and uniqueness of our genes, personalities and souls.

WHAT A RESULT AT RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015

Well done Argentina and commiserations to Ireland & Scotland!

But Cian Healy really should have LASEK so he doesn't have difficulties with his contact lenses when Ireland least need them. It would make a big difference to Cian, but would it have made any difference to the result?

Dear Yvonne & Roy

Thank you for the huge box of delicious chocolates. We enjoyed them very much. And thank you for the kind words.

Bless you

The eye team

As an opera singer, Paula needs to be in the moment when she’s on stage. Being near-sighted was hindering her ability to perform. Then she trusted Optegra for her laser eye surgery. Click here  to see her story...

This is a fascinating 5 minute video clip! The Birmingham New Street Station transformation is amazing enough, but consider the forethought to have planned to capture these time lapse images over 5 years. And we now have another building in our cityscape to be proud of. Well done to the builders, planners, designers, camera men and women and everyone involved. Click here  to watch 5 years in 5 minutes ...