I have worn prescription glasses since I was around nine years old. When I started school between my folks and I, we began to realize that I was not able to see the blackboard at school, which was used exclusively at that time. Growing up in South Africa and being in school in the late sixties and all the seventies, there were no computers or whiteboards at the time. Yes, I am from the 1900’s. My grades reflected that there was an issue, and we pinned it down to poor eyesight. Because I could not see properly, I could not hear either. Can anyone relate? Really what happened is that I could not see what the teacher was referring to when she was speaking; therefore, I would not be able to concentrate or pay attention, so I would zone out, and by extension, miss the lessons. Yes, the teacher was doing her job, and probably very well. The assignments, equations, and questions were on the board, but things are of no consequence when you cannot see them. The diagnosis was that I was suffering from Myopia, which we know as nearsightedness.
Myopia is a common vision condition that usually develops in childhood, and can stabilize with age, clearing up the vision, which did not happen in my case. With this condition, objects look clear if they are close to a person, but blurry the farther away they become. This is caused when the shape of certain parts of the eye causes light rays that should be focused on nerve tissue at the back of the retina to bend or refract to the front of the eye instead. Myopia is said to run in families but can be detected in a simple eye exam and can be treated with the use of eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. However, if untreated the patient will not only have blurry vision, but they could also develop headaches from eyestrain, constant eye rubbing, excessive blinking, chronic squinting in an endeavor to see objects, or moving closer to screens or moving screens closer to their face. If developed at an older age, it may show up in the form of Night Myopia first, which is when one begins having trouble seeing things in dim light, such as night driving. This can also be cause by Vitamin A deficiency; therefore, it may be worth a visit to your local Optometrist and Physician.
Discovery Eye Foundation gives us a few tidbits, and so much more, on how the eyes work.
The optic nerve, a cable–like grouping of nerve fibers, connects and transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. The optic nerve is mainly composed of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons. In the human eye, the optic nerve receives light signals from about 125 million photoreceptor cells (known as rods and cones) via two intermediate neuron types, bipolar and amacrine cells. In the brain, the optic nerve transmits vision signals to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), where visual information is relayed to the visual cortex of the brain that converts the image impulses into objects that we see. The RGCs form multiple functional pathways within the optic nerve to mediate the visual signal.
Human beings can see three primary colors: red, green, and blue. This is due to our having three different kinds of color sensitive cone cells: red cones, green cones, and blue cones. The RGCs connecting to the red and green cones are midget RGCs. They are mainly located at the center of the retina (known as fovea). A single midget RGC communicates with as few as five photoreceptors. They transmit red-green color signals to the parvocellular layer in the LGN. The midget-parvocellular pathway responds to color changes but has little or no response to contrast change. This pathway has center-surround receptive fields, and slow conduction velocities. Because of this pathway, we can see objects precisely in detail and in full color.
If we did not understand a word of that, from that description, we should at least acknowledge that we have a great, big, wonderful God, as the old chorus used to say!
Though the eye receives the images, children are assisted in building a basis of understanding from their infant state, by their parents, caregivers, and society. We let them know the names that we use to identify the objects and colors they are seeing. This is a part of our culture and language, so that communication can be clear. The data that has been stored in the brain beginning as a child that they can glean from, will serve as a reference library if you will, when objects are seen by the eye. Colors, names of objects, people, animals, and a million things more are repeated daily in the life of a child, making their formative years of utmost importance. We show a child a spoon, and a dog, and they know they are not the same. They must use their memory bank to store this information. If they were to see a different type of dog, we must then explain why it appears different to the one they first encountered, and this continues throughout life. When we see something new to us, we rely on others who have already received an explanation of what it is, as our basis of knowledge, and we google it as well, of course. Therefore, the eyes may be perfectly fine yet if there has been no teaching, or there is a defect in the brain to where it cannot be taught, there will be sight without understanding.
Hyperopia is when you have the opposite condition, that we refer to as farsightedness. This is also caused by an error in the refraction and bending of light, making vision near to you blurry, but objects at a distance may be clearly seen. This often occurs in people as they age, who may never have to wear prescription glasses on a regular basis but may need several pairs of reading glasses handy, laying around the house, in their purses, or in their cars. These individuals may be experts in reading road signs at a distance but cannot read their prescription bottle, or the menu at a restaurant to be able to successfully take their medications or order a meal. Both conditions can be incredibly challenging and miserable and can potentially pose a problem if you are caught without the glasses you need to help bring things into focus and perspective. Sadly, there is an innumerable amount elderly people in many countries including our own who cannot afford the eyewear they need.
Unfortunately, we as humans often do not appreciate what we have until we lose it. For instance, we do not think about water to any degree when we go to the tap and swig down a good cold glass of water, or take a nice hot bath, or an essential, we flush the toilet. Until we are hit by a storm and the power goes off. This brings everything to a screeching halt. The electricity, the water, the air conditioning, and heat, and so much more. We do not think about the air we breathe until we contract an illness such as pneumonia that impairs our breathing. In the same token, we often take good eyesight for granted as well, until something begins to go awry with our own vision.
People often refuse to wear eyeglasses because of the way they look, the inconvenience, or the discomfort they cause. Others make jokes like, ‘oh I only need them when I want to see.’ Scholarly monks used the first glasses known in history in the thirteenth century, and temples aka arms, which hold glasses over the ears were not added until the eighteenth century. Mass production of lenses and frames made glasses more accessible to everyone in the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth century, lighter, less breakable, and added coatings for harmful light were introduced. It is said that about 64% of the population wears glasses. We would have to admit that they are a wonderful invention that serves a purpose and still holds a worthy place in modern society, yet we still often struggle to accept our plight on an individual level.
However, there is one more condition. It is one of not being able to see at all and has no fancy medical term that we are unaware of, it is simply known as Blindness. This is where the eye cannot see any light at all. This can happen when there has been infection, diseases, trauma, injury, or congenital blindness, which is when someone is blind at birth. People are also diagnosed as ‘legally blind’ if they have ‘10 times the impairment in their eye that has the best vision, with corrective lenses on’, which would be considered as 20/200 vision. Of course there are variations, causes, and symptoms, but no matter the cause, I am sure those experiencing blindness wish that something could be done, or invented to help them see. Blind people live in darkness. Though they may have been taught, albeit in a much longer and arduous way what everything around them and in their world is called, they will not experience the sight of it, the exhilaration of light or the joys of spectacular colors.
A classic example of this is the story of Helen Keller who was born in 1880, and due to illness lost her eyesight and hearing at 19 months old. She eventually became an author and an activist for people with disabilities, because of the patience and endurance of her lifelong companion and teacher Annie Sullivan, who taught her language, both reading and writing and life skills. She overcame obstacles in her life, that those with vision and hearing take for granted, and she became the first deafblind person to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. All our excuses should have just melted away, with that short excerpt of overcoming and hope. If you need glasses and have glasses, wear them! Enjoy the creation around you with a grateful heart!
It is thought by biblical scholars that the Apostle Paul had eyesight problems. He stated that he had asked the Lord three times to heal him, to which the Lord replied, basically, “No.” 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 says, “For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he sees me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God wanted Paul to trust him, to “walk by faith, not by sight,” which Paul himself mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5.
This scholarly conclusion also comes from the letters that he wrote, such as in Galatians 4:13-15, “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spoke of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” AndGalatians 6:11 says, “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.” He mentions sickness, weakness as well as a thorn in the flesh that he battled with. Scholars speculate that he suffered from a chronic case of bacterial conjunctivitis, which was prevalent in Galatia at the time. It is a recurring infection of the lining of the eyes that makes it difficult to see. It is also known that Luke the physician traveled with him, which seems as if this turned out to be a two-fold blessing. He received care from Luke, who also transcribed Paul’s letters for him. Paul learned to live with his condition, because of God’s answer, but it was certainly not a comfortable, uncomplicated way of living.
Anything that restricts us or diminishes our quality of life is uncomfortable and can become a hardship for us and others. Allergies for instance can be confining. I saw an ad recently for an allergy medication called Zyrtec. You probably are familiar with this already and may have someone in your family who is taking it. The premise was that those with allergies often feel as though they must live in a bubble because they are allergic to so many things known and possibly unknown. They do not get to do the outdoor activities they want to and must be cautious even when going places indoors. It can become a constrictive and claustrophobic lifestyle. Of course, this commercial stated that if you take their product this would all change and you could live life to its full potential. If this indeed works this way, it may be considered a miracle.
Another example is astronauts who go into space. They are confined to small quarters to which they must adapt. When they leave the space ship to do their explorations and research, they must wear a space suit so that they can be connected to oxygen to breathe, just as people with lung issues must carry around an oxygen tank wherever they go. None of this is comfortable, and it is restrictive, however, we can adapt, and often it is the only answer to sustaining any quality of life. After all, in like fashion, we would not consider going on the rides at Disney land or other entertainment parks without putting on the harnesses, even though they may be considered a ‘restraining device.’ In the twenty-first century, there are now laws governing the use of seatbelts in vehicles, because data from statistics have shown that wearing one saves lives or saves someone from an injury that would be debilitating.
My mother had Macular Degeneration, which is a disease of the eyes. She would sit on the porch for lunch and look at the cars going by on the highway, which was not far away. I say look at, however, it got to where she could only hear them, and longed to see them again and expressed this often. She had no frontal vision and only a slight peripheral vision, which was true to the diagnosis. As time passed and she developed Dementia and Alzheimer’s, having no sight became even more frustrating, as she was also losing her ability to understand what was happening to her. She was unable to continue things that she had done all her life, firstly because of the loss of eyesight, then the loss of reasoning. Her life was confined and restricted at first because of her own lack of willingness to try, but later by her inability to comprehend.
Peter admonished born again believers how they should live. When we are born again, we are given sight, the Spirit ‘leads and guides us into all truth,’ and we do not suffer from any impairment. We begin to grow in faith and in knowledge. 2 Peter 1:1-11 [ESV] says, “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” He expounds on our new life in Christ very well, then continues with what he really wants to tell us.
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
By not living our lives to the fullest, both physically and spiritually, we place restrictions upon ourselves. We begin taking things for granted like the revelation that God gave us when he opened our eyes to truth, and the knowledge that we have gained up to the point where we become complacent. Complacency is spiritual Myopia, aka nearsightedness. We can then not see beyond ourselves, which is demonstrated in selfishness, which will lead us to depression and ultimate spiritual blindness, then death. Talents, gifts, and callings we have received from the Lord in our lives have to be used to be of any benefit to ourselves or others. If we find ourselves in an ‘allergic bubble,’ or an ‘infectious haziness’ of spiritual nearsightedness, we need to seek the Lord for healing of our eyes, hearts, and minds before complete blindness sets in. Blindness comes with a high propensity for falling, both physically and spiritually.
We do not have to live below our means or walk around blindly in a daze. As children of God, we can add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness with brotherly affection, and love. James tells us to let others ‘see’ our faith, by allowing them to ‘see’ our works. People can only go by what they see. As parents we cannot tell our children to “do as I say and not as I do” and expect satisfactory results if we are not acting according to what we are saying. Neither can we tell new believers or sinners this. In both scenarios the followers will be learning by the example they see the leader show. If we take care of our spiritual man, we will have clarity and sight that will only grow stronger the more we strengthen and supplement with the word of God, the spirit of God, prayer and fasting.
Our scope of vision will also increase as our exposure becomes wider. In a short clip of Crystal Asige, an elected Senator in Kenya, Africa, singer, and an advocate for the disabled, who is now completely blind due to Glaucoma that she suffered in her early twenties, while making a speech, she made these statements, “If you have seen all you can see, then you have not seen all there is to see. Visual impairment is in the eyes, but disability is in the mind. Disability does not discriminate but people do. I have Glaucoma, but Glaucoma does not have me. Persons with disabilities, ask yourself, ‘Who haven’t you seen, and what haven’t you seen about yourself.’” When faith has the companion of hope, and they walk hand in hand and strengthen one another, your scope broadens, and your field of vision becomes wider. Supplementing or adding to our lives, virtue, knowledge, brotherly kindness, and love, as Paul admonished us, gives us better focus, perspective, and clearer vision. We must stop using our self-inflicted nearsightedness as an excuse. God will begin to pinpoint items for us that we would have never seen before if when we begin to walk by faith. Things in our path that would have normally tripped us up on our journey, can be seen clearly through the eyes of faith.
Jesus said of the so-called religious leaders of the day, in Matthew 15:14, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Allow the Spirit of the Lord, and Word of God to give you sight, and to be your guide, not the philosophies of this world and society. Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!” God told the Israelites to always have the commandments before their eyes, so they could ‘see’ them readily and be reminded of them. Deuteronomy 11:20 says, “And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates.” A hymn I have known since I was a child, written by Helen Howarth Lemmel in 1922 says, “O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full into His wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace.” Let the Lord correct your vision today!