If your five senses are a team, vision is the captain. Hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling are important, no question. But most humans get most of their information about the world through their eyes.
Eyes didn’t always look like they do now. The first “eyes” showed up on sea animals hundreds of millions of years ago. They were just areas of skin that were sensitive to light. But being able to sense light helped creatures survive. So, true vision began to evolve. Over time, more complex animals started to recognize colors, shapes, and motion.
Until about 5,000 years ago, most humans were hunters. That’s why human eyes are set up the way they are. They are great for helping us stalk and kill prey. Both eyes are in front, not on the sides (like a bird’s). And human eyes can tell apart colors. That lets us identify plants and animals.
Today, not many people hunt for food. Even so, eyes are still important. We use them to read, skate, ride bikes, and more. We also have ways to make our vision better. Microscopes let us look at things as tiny as blood cells. Telescopes help us see into galaxies that are 13 billion light-years away.
