Explore the Eye’s Blind Spot

We're a bit obsessed with learning about the eye in this household. Here are a few activities and thoughts to ignite your desire to learn, or to continue learning about the eye! Have fun learning about the “blind spot“!

We've all heard the phrase “blind spot”...

…but do you know the definition of a “blind spot”?

Yeah, I didn't either until I did a bit of research on the eye.

The blind spot is a little spot of the eye. Everyone has a blind spot. The blind spot is the point in the eye where all the nerve in the eye come together. The nerves form a bundle of nerves call the optic nerve, a nerve that runs from the eye to the brain.

So, why makes the blind spot “blind'? The answer is that there are no cones or rods on that exact spot.

Exploring the Blind Spot

Here is a fun experiment to test out your eye's blind spot.

• Use these template cards I created (cut the cards out and hand them out to the children)
• Do you think you can make the flower disappear?
• Hold the card at arm's length in front of your face
• Cover the right eye
• Look at the “x” with the left eye
• Move the card slowly toward your face and then away again
• When the flower disappears, stop.
• The flower image is directly on your blind spot.

Learning about the Eye Resources

• Parts of the Eyes Cards
• Cross Section Model of an Eye
• Children's Books about Eyes
• Types of Glasses 3 Part Cards
• Fun science activity to explore Why Cats Eyes Glow
• Digital animation project

Cool Facts about Eyes

• Cats eyes appear to glow because they have a mirror layer in the back of their eyes that reflects light back into the eye
• Owls eyes can't move, which is why they turn their heads to look around
• Birds need to see in order to be able to find their food.
• The average person blinks 12 times a minute
• Sharks have eyelids but they don't blink
• Eagles can spot rabbits miles away
• Hawks check out the earth from 15,000 feet up looking for rodents (they dive over 100 mph to catch prey once they do see it!)
• Owls have the best night visions
• Sharks have the best underwater vision
• Rhinos and Moles have horrible eye sight. Rhinos can't see well beyond 15 feet in from of them. Scientists believe the moles use their eyes so infrequently that moles have grown skin over their eyes.

Happy learning!

Marnie

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