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Motherhood...the sheer sound of it brings enduring memories. A mother’s touch, her voice, her cooking, and the smile of approval in her eyes. Science has proven that there is a transference of emotion and programming from birth and infancy between a mother and her child--a type of communication, if you will, that occurs when the infant looks into its mother’s eyes. So what is this programming? How does it work and what effect does it have on the life of the child? What happens if it never happened to the infant? What happens if the mother is blind?
The gaze into a mother’s eyes brings security and well being to the child. When she gazes at another person, it makes the infant look at what she is gazing at, and introduces the infant to others in the world. This is known as a triadic exchange. So now the baby's world is no longer just one person--its mother--but also includes third parties, thereby increasing social skills and interaction.
Interestingly, if a mother is blind, it does not adversely affect the child’s development. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B showed no deficit in the baby's advancement. The sheer fact that the infant looks into the mother’s eyes helps with connectedness and emotional grounding.
Looking into mom’s eyes and face teaches facial recognition and expressions of emotions and is primarily how the child learns in the first few months of life. Additionally, infants tend to show a preference to viewing faces with open eyes rather than closed eyes, thus stressing the importance of the mother or caregiver’s gaze.
Some health benefits to gazing into the mother’s eyes is a lower incidence of autism, or spectrum disorders, and better social skills, higher learning capacity, and emotional groundedness.
The beauty of a mother’s gaze is that the child can feel the emotions of love, security, safety, and overall well-being by connecting with her through eye-to-eye contact. This sets the stage for the future development of social skills, visual recognition of people, and readiness for social interaction in the world.
A big thank you to science and mothers for proving what we already know--that the values in life can be taught to a child “through a mother's eyes,” setting the course for proper interaction for life skills and relationships.
References:
1. Kate Yandell, Proceedings of the Royal Society B ,04/10/2013.
2. Maxson J.McDowell, Biological Theory, MIT Press, 05/04/2011.
This blog provides general information and discussion about eye health and related subjects. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately licensed physician. The content of this blog cannot be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of Eye IQ.
No this is not a late-night personal injury lawyer infomercial.
This is a recommendation that you have your LASIK records available, for your own good, later in life.
There are 2 million cataract surgeries done yearly in the U.S. and the odds are, if you live long enough, you will eventually need cataract surgery, too.
What does this have to do with LASIK surgery?
When doctors perform cataract surgery they remove the cataract, which is the lens of your eye that has become cloudy. And they replace that lens with an artificial lens called an Intraocular Lens implant (IOL).
The IOL needs to have a strength to it to match your eye so that things are in focus without the need for strong prescription eyeglasses.
Currently, we determine what strength the IOL needs to be by using formulas that mostly depend on the measurements of the curvature of the cornea and the length of the eye.
Those formulas work best when the cornea is its natural shape -- i.e., not previously altered in shape from LASIK.
If you plug the “new” post-LASIK corneal shape into the formulas, the IOL strength that comes out is often significantly off the strength you really need to see well.
This is where having your records becomes important.
Knowing what your eyeglass prescription and corneal shape were BEFORE you had LASIK greatly improves our formula’s ability to predict the correct implant strength.
In most states there is a limit to how long a doctor needs to keep your records after your last visit, so everyone who has had LASIK surgery should get a copy of your pre- and post-LASIK records NOW before they no longer exist.
Article contributed by Dr. Brian Wnorowski, M.D.
This blog provides general information and discussion about eye health and related subjects. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately licensed physician. The content of this blog cannot be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of Eye IQ.
