The Human Eye: Everything We Learned Was a Lie

Dr. Haminder Hua of the University of Nottingham

As a Florida Tech student studying computer science, I have always been fascinated with the latest scientific research at the university and beyond. Turns out, everything we have learned about the human eye is false. Dr. Harminder Dua and his team at the University of Nottingham recently discovered a new element in the human eye. With the discovery of what is now known as Dua’s layer eye, operations are now safer and simpler to perform. Dr. Dua had this to say:                        

“This is a major discovery that will mean that ophthalmology textbooks will literally need to be re-written. Having identified this new and distinct layer deep in the tissue of the cornea, we can now exploit its presence to make operations much safer and simpler for patients,” said Dr. Dua in an online article about the discovery.”

Dr. Dua is a professor of ophthalmology (study of anatomy focusing on the eyes) For those who are not eye experts, the cornea acts as a shielding lens in front of the pupil, protecting it from light. Scientists used to believe that there are only five layers forming the cornea. These layers include (in order): corneal epithelium, Bowman’s layer, corneal stroma, Descemet’s membrane and corneal endothelium.

Dua’s layer was discovered to be between the corneal stroma and Descemet’s membrane. It is found to be only 15 microns thick. Just to give you an idea – 1 inch is equal to 25,400 microns. The cornea as a whole is about 550 microns thick.

What I find really cool about this is that scientists have been trying to understand the human body for hundreds of years, yet there are still parts that they don’t understand. It also makes me wonder what other discoveries are still to be made not just about the universe, but about ourselves.

Have you made any recent discoveries that you would like to share?