why do people squint at things they cant see properly??
2006-09-08 09:33:55 · 12 answers · asked by Happyworms 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The human eye can perceive things clearly at a distance of around 25 centimetres. This distance is known as the LEAST DISTANCE OF DISTINCT VISION (LDDV). At a point beyond this vision, it becomes a tad tough for the eye to get a cleared image to be processed by the brian via the retina. Squinting helps to contract the eye muscles, which compress the pupils, thereby lengthening it from the above and below, forming a somewhat rod-like shape. This increases the LDDV to a greater extent, thereby improving the visual clarity of the things to be viewed.
2006-09-08 13:48:51 · answer #1 · answered by AR2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The light entering your eye bends slightly around your eyelids. This always happens anyway, but the effect is greater when you squint because the bend is happening closer to your pupil. This action acts like your lens does, and focuses the light coming in. As you squint you adjust the squint a little to get the maximum focusing effect.
2006-09-08 20:39:19 · answer #2 · answered by perk 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great question. If you take a piece of foil (from a gum wrapper?) and make a pinhole in it, you can look through the pinhole and clearly see things at a distance even if you usually must wear strong glasses. It works a little like a pinhole camera. Instead of many distorted out of focus images striking the eye's retina, a single image is presented through the pinhole to which the eye can easily adjust. In fact the pinhole lenses are called "poor man's glasses." Squinting the eyes approximates the same effect by reducing the amount of image delivered to the eye. There are commercial pinhole glasses available but they use many pinholes to allow more light and would not function exactly as a single pinhole lens would.
2006-09-08 17:10:29 · answer #3 · answered by Kes 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Squinting the eye muscles causes the eyes to focus a tad bit better on what is being looked at. Being far sighted all my life...when I don't have my glasses on...I can squint hard and bring things into focus for a short period of time.
2006-09-08 16:36:58 · answer #4 · answered by tjjone 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Squinting makes things clearer for people with vision problems. They really need to get glasses though.
2006-09-08 16:36:00 · answer #5 · answered by kathy p 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The change in pressure on the eye, can mechanically deform the lens, temporarily improving short-term vision, but putting the entire eye, all the parts, under a tremendous pressure and a type of load they really dont handle well over the medium to long term.
2006-09-08 16:36:22 · answer #6 · answered by Curly 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Probably for the same reason they turn down the radio in the car when they are looking for a road or an address or something.
2006-09-08 16:35:38 · answer #7 · answered by impossible 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's because your eyes can't handle the light. If you've been inside then your pupils will be slightly larger and so when you go out in the sun a lot of light is let into your eye and you eyes need time to readjust their "settings"
2006-09-08 18:29:17 · answer #8 · answered by IMsweet 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is because when you squint, your feild of vision becomes smaller. when ur feild of vision becomes smaller, you can see better. therefore you squint when your looking at something far away.
2006-09-08 16:37:03 · answer #9 · answered by mcimpotent 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your eyelashes narrow your field of vision so you focus more of your eyes' seeing strength on the thing you're looking at. it works,too
2006-09-08 16:36:07 · answer #10 · answered by . 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋