Why Tears Are Important, and a Collage for LMAC #87

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(Edited)

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My collage was inspired by the hollow-eyed impression of the meerkats in @shaka's template photo:

TrSpDF8 - Imgur.jpg

Eyes became the theme of my collage, sightless eyes. From there I got the idea of making one grand all-seeing eye that telepathically gives sight to the community. Of course, the eye has to rest in a pool of tears, and the pool has to be replenished by acolytes that shed tears, endlessly.

The hollow-eyed meerkats and hollow-eyed stone idols stand guard over the sacred eye.

Tears

We all know that sight is precious, but do we realize how essential tears are to keeping our sight? According to the National Eye Institute, "Tears keep your eyes wet and smooth, and help focus light so you can see clearly. They also protect your eyes from infections and irritating things, like dirt and dust."

Every time we blink we bathe our eyes in tears. Something called a 'tear film' covers the surface of the cornea.

Tear system  User FML 2.5 systema lacrima gif.jpg
a. tear gland / lacrimal gland,
b. superior lacrimal punctum,
c. superior lacrimal canal,
d. tear sac / lacrimal sac,
e. inferior lacrimal punctum,
f. inferior lacrimal canal,
g. nasolacrimal canal

User:FML CC 2.5 license

eye pixabay.jpg

The tear film is composed of three layers. The bottom layer, the one that lies directly on the surface of the eye, is made of mucus. The middle layer is made of water and the top layer is made of an oily substance.

The cornea has tiny filaments that stick out from the surface. Mucus in the lower layer wraps itself around the filaments and becomes the stationary basis over which the other two layers move. If the top two layers don't slide smoothly over the cornea, then there will be a distortion in focus.

Together, the three layers protect the cornea. Check out this Youtube video that shows how the tear film is applied every time we blink our eyes.

Our corneas are clear surfaces through which light passes to reach the lens and other parts of the eye. If the cornea is damaged, then, obviously, vision is impaired. This can happen if the eyes become dry--that is, if the tear film is not protecting the cornea. So, maintaining a healthy, functioning tear film is essential to maintaining good vision.

Cornea.jpg

Image credit: Mikael Häggström. Released into the public domain.

What Can Disrupt the Tear Film?

There are many conditions that can disrupt the tear film, and thus cause damage to the cornea, or interfere with clear focus.

Contact lenses Both hard and soft contact lenses can interfere with the proper distribution of tears over the cornea. This may lead to inflammation, and cause damage to the cornea.

eye pixabaysmaller.jpg

Rheumatological diseases Dry eyes is a common manifestation of many rheumatological diseases, including systemic lupus, scleroderma and
rheumatoid arthritis.

eye pixabay gif.gif

Aging Dry eyes often accompany other 'symptoms' of advanced age. This particular 'symptom' of aging generally appears in the 4th decade of life and increases in severity with the passage of years. In the case of aging, underlying inflammation seems to exacerbate the condition of dry eyes.


eye for end pixabaygif2.gif

Whatever the cause of dry eyes, this is a consequential condition. It's a good idea to get a proper workup from an ophthalmologist. Not only would this be wise to protect your vision, but it also might help to discover an underlying condition. Depending on the cause, treatment can vary. Sometimes eye drops do the trick. Other therapies range from treating an underlying condition systemically, to unplugging tear ducts surgically.

eye pixabay gif2.gif

My Collage

I don't know where @shaka took this picture, but I think it was gift for many members of the LMAC community. You can see their designs on the LMAC blog. @shaka's photo was certainly a gift for me. While I did focus on the eyes, there were many aspects of the picture that were open to creative interpretation.

Elements: All from Pixabay
Hole (which I turned into a pool) Simon on Pixabay
Here's a GIF that shows the process of making the eye pool out of a volcano crater:

hole gif2.gif

Eyeball: frankychoi on Pixabay
The Waterfall: jplenio on Pixabay
Tears: (which started out as drops of blood) kropekk on Pixabay

I also used a Lunapic filter during one stage of the collage development.

Accent eyes (and eye GIFs) in the blog derived from:
Eye Nika_Aking Pixabay
Eye 7089643 on Pixabay

While I don't compete in the contest, I obviously have fun. Thank you @shaka, for the fun and the art adventure. Everyone in the Hive community is invited to join in the fun. Rules may be found on @shaka's blog. You can join us on Discord and find out more about the community. Also we have a school, run by our colleague and teacher, @quantumg.

****Important****

Please read this blog, LMAC School - Public Domain Picture sources (Free Materials for creating collages), written by @quantumg, which discusses public domain issues. The blog offers links to sources that offer public domain pictures. Using public domain pictures is an absolutely essential requirement for all collages submitted in the LMAC contest.

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Thank you for reading my blog

Hive on!



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21 comments
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Wow, I love how how your provided medical knowledge simply from the art of this image. A good care for our eyes through diet can also reduce the incidence of dry eye.

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Thank you very much! I find that pictures often give me ideas for blogs. There are so many possibilities in a picture. And yes, diet can help with dry eyes. Diet can help with most things, can't it ?

Hope you have a great day!

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Very creative and informative post. Really inspirational... After I saw your collage I thought: "wisdom comes with tears".

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Thank you very much. They eyes of the meerkats really struck me. The rest followed naturally. Making this blog was a lot of fun.

I hope you are enjoying your day.

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(Edited)

This is great, u make me know tear prevent eye problem. and how Contact lenses Both hard and soft contact lenses can interfere with the proper distribution of tears over the cornea and it may lead to inflammation, and cause damage to the cornea...

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Thank you very much for stopping by and for your kind words. I also learned a lot when I wrote this blog. Writing is fun, and instructive.

I hope you are enjoying your day.

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Que buena información nos ofreces hoy y muy lindo tu collage; Antes reprimía mucho mis lagrimas no me gustaba ser sensible y me hacia la dura, pero ahora dejo salir las lagrimas con mayor facilidad!

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(Edited)

Thank you very much! It is good to cry, sometimes. Thank you for the kind words about my collage. Very generous.

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Hello friend, excellent explanation of the anatomy of the eye and the relationship of the collage image.

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Thank you my friend. I learned about the eye as I wrote the blog. My collages always inspire me. Hope you and your family are well.

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I have got a blog that is called the eye on hive 👁 but it should bell g go you love it

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You are generous in your estimation, @brittandjosie. Thank you. I hope you and the kids are enjoying this summer weather. It has been such a long, long winter.

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Dear @agmoore,

That's simply great. You have seen more in the elements of the template than only stones and other existing objects. That's why I find the idea very very creative. The implementation also looks very great. Everything fits seamlessly into what you' ve imagined. I absolutely love it!

I know, I write it under each of your edu-collages. But it's also true. Once again it was very interesting and I look forward to next week when I will learn something new again. :-)

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You make me so happy. I would say, of all the collages I've done, this one looks more characteristically like 'me'. I do like to plumb the depths of imagination and this picture was an invitation to do that. LMAC is a particular adventure for me because I've never had the the courage to express myself in art. At my age, to open the door. What a gift.

I thought the excursion into eye mechanics was stretch, but I did learn. Who knew about the three layer tear film? Not me😁

Stay cool there in Hesse State (yes, I remember). Very hot here.

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I love where your imagination took you on this one with picking up the eyes A.G. I first thought of the holes in the little round rock was your inspiration but now see how the meerkats eyes stand out.

Great addition with the all seeing eye in the pond.:)

Elsa is churning up the coast and will impact us on Saturday. Should be downgraded by then. Will you be in line for wind and rain?

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Thank you for visiting, dear @redheadpei, and thank you for your generosity! I had so much fun with this. The original picture was wonderful. The all seeing eye Ha Ha Ha. That made me chuckle when I wrote it.

Here in New York we are warm, but that's OK. My granddaughter has her first job! Camp counselor for preschoolers--college in a year. I'm excited for her, but a little nostalgic for her own preschool days (she went to that same camp).

I think we will get rain from Elsa, and maybe some strong bluffs. As long as we don't lose power :( I think the storm will be a weak shadow of itself by the time it hits you.

Enjoy every day of this welcome summer!

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Congrats to your granddaughter on her first job. Sounds like one she knows a lot about having gone to the same camp. :)

I hope you didn't lose power. Elsa should be here tomorrow evening but her downgraded path is more to the North of the Island.

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