• Question: how do you get blind

    Asked by jwilliamson to Callum, Gina, Katie, Michelle, Sam on 16 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Callum Johnston

      Callum Johnston answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Hey JWilliamson,

      There are lots of reasons why people can go blind. The most common is because they get cataracts, which means the lens in their eye is being broken down, and it can be caused by too much sunlight, having diabetes or high blood pressure, or just from being old. There are also lots of people born with genetic diseases which make them go blind, and some people lose their sights through physical damage like getting shot by a paintball.

      There are lots of scientists in the world trying to help blind people by using stem cells to replace damaged eye cells or inventing ways that make it easier for them to get around – on Richard Hammonds Miracles of Nautre this week there was a man who was completely blind riding a mountain bike along a forest track, it was amazing!

    • Photo: Katie Howe

      Katie Howe answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Hi!

      There are lots of different ways you can go blind. You could get a injury to your eyeball which would mean you lose the cells in your eye which allow you to see (these are called rods and cones).

      Another way is if you develop cataracts. Cataracts are when the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. This often happens when people get older and it is a bit like looking through fog. This could get worse and worse until you can no longer see.

      People can also go blind if the blood vessels at the back of your eye get damaged or if too much fluid builds up in the eye as this can damage the nerve cells in your eyeball which sense the image.

      I hope that helps!

    • Photo: Michelle Linterman

      Michelle Linterman answered on 19 Nov 2012:

      Hi Jwilliamson,

      As the other Scientists said, there are lots of different ways you can loose your sight.

      Anything that damages the cells in your eye that absorb light will cause partial or full blindness.

      Also, if you damage the cells in your brain that process the information that your eyes send them, then you can become blind.

      I hope this helps.

      Michelle

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