A statement more based in poetry than in anatomy. However, the eyes are really good windows to many anatomical functions that cannot be seen elsewhere in the human body. This is the main reason that your eye doctor takes such a good look at the interior of your eyes during a vision examination.

The instrument that the doctor uses is called an ophthalmoscope. Types range from simple hand-held ones to the ones that strap to the doctor’s head and make him/her look like a coal miner. Their purpose is to flood the inside of the eye with light and allow the doctor to see a magnified view of the structures inside. The pupils of the eyes are often dilated (opened widely) with medicated drops to get a more complete view. Photographs of the eye’s interior can be made at this time to document eye condition for future comparisons.

What’s to be seen there?
Starting in the front chamber of the eyes, cells seen floating in the liquid can indicate an infection in progress. Pigment spots circulating in the liquid can warn of future pressure problems (i.e. glaucoma) due to a plugging up of the drainage system.

The iris is that flexible diaphragm of tissue that surrounds the pupil of the eye. It contains the pigments that make you "brown-eyed" or "blue-eyed". Changes in eye color can result from infection or from prolonged use of some medications. The focusing lens of the eye lies just behind the iris. It is normally transparent. Changes in its clearness may indicate the onset of cataracts resulting from injury or systemic problems such as diabetes.

Lining the back of the eyeball is a tissue layer called the retina. It contains the cells that react to light, which is the first stage of the process of "seeing". These cells are fed with a very dense network of blood vessels. This is the only place in the body that you can see the blood vessel system at work. Many of the problems that affect the body can be seen in the way they affect this vessel network. Diabetes, high blood pressure, "wet" macular degeneration, and other eye and systemic problems can cause hemorrhages and blood vessel blockages that starve-out and kill retinal cells. Once gone, these cells cannot be replaced.

The information that your eye doctor gets from looking inside your eyes may not give him or her a clue as to your soul, but it can be a tremendous aid in diagnosing your health.