See it explained

Short, hand-drawn animations that show how the eye works and what goes wrong. Each one plays as you scroll to it, and links to the full explanation.

Retina and floaters

How a retinal tear forms

A tear in the retina and the shower of pigment it releases.

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Retina and floaters

Laser treatment for a retinal tear

Laser retinopexy seals the retina back down around the tear.

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Retina and floaters

Retinal detachment

How fluid tracks under the retina and lifts it away.

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Retina and floaters

Posterior vitreous detachment

The vitreous gel peeling away from the retina with age.

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Retina and floaters

Flashes of light

Why traction on the retina is seen as arcs of light.

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Retina and floaters

Migraine aura

A shimmering zigzag in the same place in both eyes.

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Retina and floaters

Flashes of a PVD

A brief arc of light in one eye, often in the dark.

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Retina and floaters

Tobacco dust (Shafer's sign)

Pigment cells in the vitreous, a sign of a retinal tear.

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Watery eyes

How tears drain away

The tear drainage system, from the eye down into the nose.

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Watery eyes

Why dry eyes water

How a dry surface triggers a reflex flood of tears.

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Watery eyes

DCR surgery

A new drainage channel to bypass a blocked tear duct.

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Eyelids

Ectropion

An eyelid that turns outward, away from the eye.

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Eyelids

Entropion

An eyelid that turns inward, so the lashes rub.

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Eyelids

Eyelid twitching

The harmless muscle flutter of myokymia.

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