Jellyfish Day, Jellyfish Eyes

Jellyfish Day is Nov. 3, 2014. It’s a rather odd observance for most people, but it got the staff at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery thinking about whether or not jellyfish have eyes. After some research, we learned that jellyfish do not have brains, hearts, ears, heads, feet, legs or bones…and most do not have eyes.

There are over 2,000 types of jellyfish and possibly hundreds of thousands more that are waiting to be discovered.

The highly venomous box jellyfish is the most dangerous. This type of jellyfish does have eyes…24 of them!

• They have four different types of eyes.
• One pair in each cluster contain a lens, retina, iris and cornea but only detect light and dark, rather than images, because they do not have a central nervous system.
• Two of the eyes can see color.
• Four of the upper lens eyes always point upward, even when they are upside-down, to allow them to navigate by looking out of the water.

The sting of these highly agile swimmers can be deadly for humans; if you happen to be scuba diving or snorkeling in tropical waters and see a jellyfish looking back at you, it’s best to keep your distance.

If you don’t have 20/20 vision while exploring under water, it may be more difficult to see this lurking gelatinous animal coming your way. Prescription goggles or wearing contact lenses are options to improve your vision under water, but having LASIK vision correction in Charleston can eliminate this hassle from your pre-swim preparations.

If you are an avid swimmer, scuba diver or snorkeler and would like to swim with visual freedom just like the box jellyfish, schedule a free LASIK Consultation today at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Dr. O'Day can’t promise you the same vision as what 24 eyes might provide, but he will determine whether or not your unique eye characteristics and eye health will support this popular procedure. To schedule your no-obligation appointment, call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com.