We use our vision to obtain perhaps as much as 80% of the information about the world around us. Our eyesight is a very complex and intricate device, yet we are almost constantly destroying it by the way we live today. Our eyes have many layers, the innermost of which is called the retina. Here are stored special cells that react to light. When light strikes them, action potentials are produced. These potentials act like messages exchanged between neurons. Thus, the potentials are transmitted from the cells of the retina to the cells that make up the optic nerve, the optic nerve.
The nerves from one side and the other cross in a special way, so that information is transmitted toward the visual centers of the brain in a special way. After the crossing, information from the same half of the retina of both eyes passes through the so-called optokinetic tracts. Thus, tracts on both sides of the brain proceed toward the occipital lobe, where the information is processed. Along the way, however, there are various branches connecting different areas of the brain. For example, such connections allow us to follow an object with both eyes at once without having to think about it in order to maintain proper balance.
What is important, however, is to keep our eyes healthy for as long as possible in life. As we age, it is natural that we lose our ability to see well up close. This is due to the aging of the entire eye organ, which loses its ability to focus properly. Alternating between looking at things near and far is good for the eyes. Therefore, walking around outdoors is very good, quality exercise. Likewise, regular visits to an ophthalmologist are a good preventative measure. This is because an ophthalmologist can detect a variety of other problems, such as glaucoma and (rare) cancer.