I still remember that morning last spring when I woke up in the campground near nordeg to see the beautiful Rocky Mountains etched sharply against the azure sky. As I stole softly through the deep moss-woods near the beaver dam there, under a leaning windfall was a spot of color. Could it be? Yes, it was one of the most beautiful orchids. The Calypso Orchid with its intricate design and delicate shades of color. In such a setting the gift of sight brings such exquisite joy. Sadly there are many who do not see sharp silhouettes because their eyes do not focus correctly or their lenses have become cloudy and their vision is like looking through a frosted glass window.
There are others whose eyes have too much internal pressure and it slowly begins to damage the nervous tissue. One of the first things that happens is that the sensitive cones in the retina begin to lose their function and they are no longer sensitive to the colors purple and blue and the Holden throat of the orchid. Eventually the field of vision begins to narrow and the horizon becomes shorter and shorter until only a small spot in the middle remains and soon is blotted out and only darkness remains. This is called Glaucoma.
In still others, as they get older, the cells in the most sensitive part of the retina, the macula, begin to degenerate and all the sense of detail is lost right in the center of vision. So the general awareness of the surroundings remains but right where the delicate design of the flower should appear is a black spot, like a frame without a picture. This is called Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).
Some focusing problems can be repaired through delicate surgery, which changes the shape of the eye hall. Investigators have not yet discovered why eyes become near sighted, and preventive measures are also elusive. In the case of clouded lenses (cataracts) scientific investigation shows that there are simple, safe, inexpensive and practical means of decreasing the risk of developing cataracts or at least delaying, them. Surgery can replace clouded lenses (cataracts) when it becomes necessary. This is not the case with ARMD for there is no surgery to replace the sensitive retinal cells. The good news is that recent studies show that there are preventive actions that will decrease the risk of developing ARMD, which is the leading cause of blindness for those over 65 years of age.
In order for us to see, the cells in the retina must he exposed to light which causes chemical reactions to take place. Some of these chemical reactions stimulate nerves, which bring to our brain the picture of things around us, but the energy, particularly from the blue end of the spectrum, can also rearrange electrons on molecules and cause them to become free radicals.
