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Description

Eyes are pretty important. I should know, because I have eyes. The eye is an incredibly useful tool, and many creatures have independently evolved eyes. The Shrith and the majority of the creatures on their planet are no different. However, the design of the eye itself for the Shrith and all other Txemshi vertebrates is a little different than our human eyes. Not too much, but a little.

For the Shrith, light is first taken in by an ocular organ akin to a pupil. This pupil covers all of the exposed eye, meaning that it takes in a tremendous amount of light. Such a large pupil is a result of their planet’s rotation. Days on Txemshi last for around 82 hours, with 41 hours of daylight and 41 hours of night. The Shrith do not sleep through the whole night like humans do, and instead spend half their waking hours working under the daylight and spend the other half working in the night. To adequately see in the night, their pupils have grown large, able to take in a large amount of light even during the night, allowing them to see equally good in both day and night.

To reduce the amount of light that stresses the eye during the long daylight hours, the Shrith, and by extension all other Txemshi vertebrates, have evolved a layer of muscle over the pupil, and this muscle is able to “dilate” the pupil, acting akin to an iris. Changing the amount of light taken in by the pupil involves the muscles constricting and unconstricting, but the actual size of the pupil doesn’t change.

Layered over the whole exposed eyeball is the “cornea.” The “cornea” of a Shrith eye actually grows from the ends of the eyestalk and covers the exposed eyeball, almost like a goggle of sorts. It has a couple different functions, the first of which includes helping the lens in focusing the light taken in. The other use is keeping the eyeball moist and clean. While the Shrith have eyelids, they’re not made for keeping the eye moist, like in humans. Instead, a thin layer of water and mucus is held between the “cornea” and the rest of the eyeball. The “cornea” is airtight, meaning no moisture is lost. Because the “cornea” acts like a goggle, it gets scratched and collects dust over time. To help relieve such inconveniences, the tips of the eyestalks are fitted with eyelids that close over the “cornea,” wiping away dust like a windshield wiper. But while wiping away dust is easy, the eyelids cannot fix the scratches the “cornea” will accumulate. To fix this, the “cornea” will shed every month, being replaced by a fresh, new, clear “cornea.” As the new “cornea” develops behind the existing “cornea,” vision will progressively get a little more blurry, but not enough to significantly affect the Shrith. The slightly blurry vision reverts back to clear vision once the existing “cornea” falls off and is replaced by the new “cornea.”

In addition to protecting the eyes and keeping them moist, the “cornea” has special cells that allow it to darken or clear up. When in the sun, the “cornea” will darken some, and in the night, the “cornea” will lighten some.

That’s about it…

Description

Eyes are pretty important. I should know, because I have eyes. The eye is an incredibly useful tool, and many creatures have independently evolved eyes. The Shrith and the majority of the creatures on their planet are no different. However, the design of the eye itself for the Shrith and all other Txemshi vertebrates is a little different than our human eyes. Not too much, but a little.

For the Shrith, light is first taken in by an ocular organ akin to a pupil. This pupil covers all of the exposed eye, meaning that it takes in a tremendous amount of light. Such a large pupil is a result of their planet’s rotation. Days on Txemshi last for around 82 hours, with 41 hours of daylight and 41 hours of night. The Shrith do not sleep through the whole night like humans do, and instead spend half their waking hours working under the daylight and spend the other half working in the night. To adequately see in the night, their pupils have grown large, able to take in a large amount of light even during the night, allowing them to see equally good in both day and night.

To reduce the amount of light that stresses the eye during the long daylight hours, the Shrith, and by extension all other Txemshi vertebrates, have evolved a layer of muscle over the pupil, and this muscle is able to “dilate” the pupil, acting akin to an iris. Changing the amount of light taken in by the pupil involves the muscles constricting and unconstricting, but the actual size of the pupil doesn’t change.

Layered over the whole exposed eyeball is the “cornea.” The “cornea” of a Shrith eye actually grows from the ends of the eyestalk and covers the exposed eyeball, almost like a goggle of sorts. It has a couple different functions, the first of which includes helping the lens in focusing the light taken in. The other use is keeping the eyeball moist and clean. While the Shrith have eyelids, they’re not made for keeping the eye moist, like in humans. Instead, a thin layer of water and mucus is held between the “cornea” and the rest of the eyeball. The “cornea” is airtight, meaning no moisture is lost. Because the “cornea” acts like a goggle, it gets scratched and collects dust over time. To help relieve such inconveniences, the tips of the eyestalks are fitted with eyelids that close over the “cornea,” wiping away dust like a windshield wiper. But while wiping away dust is easy, the eyelids cannot fix the scratches the “cornea” will accumulate. To fix this, the “cornea” will shed every month, being replaced by a fresh, new, clear “cornea.” As the new “cornea” develops behind the existing “cornea,” vision will progressively get a little more blurry, but not enough to significantly affect the Shrith. The slightly blurry vision reverts back to clear vision once the existing “cornea” falls off and is replaced by the new “cornea.”

In addition to protecting the eyes and keeping them moist, the “cornea” has special cells that allow it to darken or clear up. When in the sun, the “cornea” will darken some, and in the night, the “cornea” will lighten some.

That’s about it…