In Plain Sight: Vision

[SNAPPY MUSIC PLAYING] [CLINK Quick quiz. Where are the fastest and most active muscles in the human body?

I'll give you a hint. No, it's not your pointer finger. It's your eyes.

And I'll show you how fast and active they are by slowing them down a lot.

[CLINK CLINK Ah. Just drink in that glorious orb, the provider of sight.

It's so well constructed. You've got the iris, the cornea, the pupil, and the sclera, are all working together to allow us to see.

The eye muscles have to be fast. Just to track an object involves at least seven different highly coordinated movements. If eye muscles were slow, we couldn't focus on anything moving around us. So they do it in less than 1/100 of a second.

[CLINK CLINK] But no journey of the eye would be complete without considering the blink.

We blink 15 to 20 times a minute. That's about 10 and 1/2 million times a year. I, for one, had no idea I did anything 10 million times a year.

And we blink for a reason. Blinking keeps the eye lubricated. With each blink, a tiny tear comes out of your upper eyelid and helps wash germs, dust, and other micro gunk away.

[CLINK CLINK] So if someone challenges you to a staring contest, tell them, no, thank you. Just say, you have to keep your magnificent balls lubricated. Actually, make sure to say eyeballs.