Eyes and eye diseases

Eyes (to be) _____ organs that detect light. In the human eye, light (to enter) __________ the pupil.Light (to focus) __________on the retina by the lens. Light-sensitive nerve cells called rods (for brightness) and cones (for color) (to react) _________ to the light. They (to interact) _________ with each other and (to send) ___________ messages to the brain that indicate brightness, color, and contour.

The first proto-eyes evolved among animals 540 million years ago. Almost all animals have eyes, or descend from animals that did.

Anatomy of the mammalian eye

The most important parts of the eye (to be) _____ :

1. pupil

2. anterior chamber

3. cornea

4. iris

5. lens cortex

6. lens nucleus

7. conjuntiva

8. optic disc

9. central retinal artery

10. central retinal vein

11. optical nerve

12. macula

13. sclera

14. retina

Blindness

What (to be) _____ blindness?

Some people (to bear) _______________ with a visual impairment. A person who (to be) ______ blind (to have) _________ a high degree of vision loss. Only about 18 per cent of blind people (to be) _____ totally blind - most can(to distinguish) ______________ between light and dark.

When someone (to be) _____ partially sighted, they (to have) ____________ a less severe loss of vision. Partially sighted people can (to see) _____________ more than blind people but less than sighted people.

Blindness can (to cause) _____________ difficulty with performing everyday tasks

Blindness can (to cause) _______________ difficulty with performing everyday tasks such as cooking, dressing, reading and writing. When outside shopping or going for a walk, blindness can (to create) __________________ problems.

The risk of physical and social isolation (to be) ______ greater for those who (to be) ______ blind or partially-sighted as it can (to be) ______harder for them to get out and make new friends than it (to be) _____for people who (to be) _____ fully sighted. Blindness can also (to be) ______ an expensive condition because of, for example, the costs of special equipment.

What _______the causes (to be)?

Accidents and disease (to be) _______ often responsible for blindness while some people (to bear) ________________ blind or partially sighted. Common causes (to include) __________ age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Having an eye test at least every two years can (to help) ____________ to detect problems that may (to need) _______________ treatment.

It (to be) _____ important to wear protective eyewear in situations where accidental eye damage may (to occur) _________________, for example, at work, when playing sport. Some conditions, such as glaucoma and cataracts, can (to treat) ________________to help preserve vision.

Daily life

The use of a guide dog or asking a sighted friend to help (to overcome) ________________ problems for blind or partially sighted people outside.

Helpful techniques (to include) _____________ using colour-coded buttons to help with dressing, and counting as water (to pour) ___________ into a teapot to identify when it's full.

Braille or Moon (to help) _________ with reading and writing. Many people (to prefer) ____________ to listen to audio cassettes and CD's. The telephone and computers (to help) ___________ many to communicate.