ProVision Eye Associates

Humans can see less than one-hundredth of a percent of the electromagnetic spectrum. Everything else - including the infrared radiation constantly radiating from every object around you - is completely invisible to us.

Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology just changed that.

They've built a 23-gram pair of glasses that converts invisible infrared light into visible color in real time. Tiny particles called mercury telluride colloidal quantum dots absorb infrared photons and convert them into electrical charges. Those charges flow into a transparent OLED lens that maps different infrared wavelengths to distinct colors - red and cyan - overlaid directly onto normal vision.

You see both at once. The visible world and the infrared world, in a single unified field of view.

The research was published in Science Advances. The team calls it a "paradigm shift" in visual science - and that framing is hard to argue with. This isn't a camera that records infrared for later review. It's real-time infrared perception integrated into human sight, in glasses you could wear.

The applications are significant. Navigation in darkness and degraded environments. Augmented reality with thermal awareness. Visual prosthetics that restore or expand perception for people with vision impairments.

Rattlesnakes and bats have navigated the infrared world for millions of years. We're 23 grams of quantum dots away from joining them.

Let’s Talk Fur-opters!

Okay, furriends… I know what you’re thinking.

“Truffles, what in the world is THAT thing on your face?!”

Well, around here, I call it a Fur-opter.
But your eye doctor probably calls it a phoropter. (4 -opter)

And despite how enormous it looks on me, it’s really just a very cool way for your eye doctor to put lots of different lenses in front of your eyes to find the ones that help you see your very best.

You might hear your doctor ask:

“Which is better… 1 or 2?”
“How about 3 or 4?”

Let me help you feel better. You know what?

There are no wrong answers!

Just tell your doctor what you see. Each answer helps them learn a little more about your eyes and find the purrrfect prescription.

And if a phoropter looks big, strange or even a little scary the first time you see one, don’t worry. Nothing goes into your eyes, and it doesn’t hurt. You just peek right through those little windows! If I can do it, you can too!

One thing I’ve learned from spending lots of time around eye doctors:

Things aren’t nearly as scary when we understand what they do.

So if you see something unfamiliar at your next eye appointment, just ask about it!

I’m helping too!

one Fur-opter at a time!

“Truffles, which is better? One or Mew?”
“Mew”

Retained contact lens Our IG account @optometrists2024 📸: @dr.behruz_oralov A contact lens tore during removal. Half remained trapped in the upper conjunctival fornix. The retained fragment was safely removed with forceps.

“You can see as my tear dries up, a beautiful frozen landscape is created ❄️ remember how salty tears are? When water evaporates, salt crystals are formed! Not only do we shed tears when experiencing emotions, but tears are also released every time we blink. While emotional tears indicate distress between individuals from certain animal species, they serve additional functions beyond emotional expression! Tears consist mainly of water, providing hydration to the eye, aiding in clear vision by focusing light, and facilitating the dispersion of electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins. Electrolytes, such as sodium, chloride, calcium and potassium are important for maintaining pH stability and normal osmotic pressure (they also create beautiful crystalline patterns on the microscope slide when water evaporates). Lots of different proteins are present: some are antimicrobial, some are enzymes that help breakdown lipids and other proteins and some are involved in wound healing and inflammation regulation. Lipids can also be found in tears! Can you see some small oily droplets floating around? These lipids include cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids, and they prevent water to evaporate too quickly. The last components are mucins, large glycoproteins that help spread tears evenly over the ocular surface. All of these elements aren’t just randomly sitting in water. In fact, they’re all organized in three layers. The outer layer is the one that contains lipids and keeps tears from drying up. The middle layer is the watery one which keep the eye wet and nourishes the eye tissues. The inner layer is made of mucus and helps the thin tear film stick to the eye. Tears also form a barrier against foreign particles like dust or dirt and protect your eyes from pathogens like evil bacteria or viruses. There are even white blood cells secreting antibodies in your tears! These guys are always at work for you, how sweet 🥰” - caption by @tardibabe This content has been shared using Instagram Remix/Sequence feature from the content owner @tardibabe We share wholesome science content. Feel free to join us 👉 @sciencefunn for more.

This isn’t a painting.

It isn’t the surface of a distant planet or an apple pie.

It’s Gumdrop’s iris!

Every tiny ridge, fold, and swirl is part of the iris, the colored part of the eye that controls how much light enters through the pupil.

No two irises are exactly alike. Human or feline, each one is a masterpiece of biology, designed with both beauty and purpose.

It’s stunning!

Check out the masterpieces around you!

#ｍａｓｔｅｒｐｉｅｃｅ

We may ask "1 or 2," but our goal is always 20/20. 😎 Drop a heart if you agree and follow @optometrists2024

SHOW ME YOUR SUNNIES!

It’s National Sunglasses Day, furriends!

Whether your sunglasses are sparkly, sporty, colorful, classic, or extra fancy, I want to see them!

📸 Share a picture of:
🐾 You in your favorite sunglasses
🐾 Your child in their sunnies
🐾 Your pet rocking a stylish pair
🐾 Your favorite sunglasses selfie

Drop your photos in the comments and let’s celebrate healthy eyes and sunny adventures together!

😎