An Eye for Every Occasion

If you walk through
the forest at dusk,
literally thousands
of eyes will follow your every move.
Insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals,
and birds of all shapes and sizes
will be aware of your presence, even if
you remain blissfully ignorant of theirs.

That may sound creepy until you
remember that God made them this
way for their good. Life requires creatures
to be aware of their surroundings
so they can respond appropriately.
However, creatures don’t see the world
the same way we do—and for good reason.
A slug on a stump doesn’t need
our full-color, wide-angle, focused
sight, which can track wind blowing
through another person’s hair or a grin
lighting up someone’s face.

Each creature has its own specially
designed vision system to sense the
world in just the way it needs. For
instance, your eyes are wonderfully
designed. Humans can see 10 million
colors and detect changes in hues a
few nanometers (billionths of a meter)
apart. We can look up at the stars and
then down at cells under a microscope
without missing a beat. Our Creator
gave us all we need to observe the
world so we can fulfill our unique
stewardship duties.

No two eyes have quite the same
needs. Human eyes must adjust to
any environment, from deep-sea dives
to outer space. Other eyes are specifically
designed for very special environments—high altitudes, freshwater
lakes, saltwater, nighttime, daytime,
and even underground. Each setting
requires radically different optics.

The size of eyes ranges from microscopic
to enormous. Tiny animals like
worms don’t need huge eyeballs like
those of elephants or whales; they only
need tiny eyes that simply detect light
or dark. In fact, their light sensors can
only be seen with a powerful microscope.
These sensors allow them to devote most
of their energy and body to gathering
soil and digesting waste.

Some insects have eyes less than
one hundredth of an inch (0.1 mm)
in diameter, whereas the giant squid,
which scours the dark ocean depths
looking for the slightest sign of life,
has massive eyes up to the size of large
dinner plates (11 inches, or 270 mm, in
diameter)!

So what could possibly explain
the origin of such a vast range of eye
designs? Ancient people recognized
that the origin of their eyes must be
supernatural. The wisest man who
ever lived, King Solomon, acknowledged
what seems an obvious truth:
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs
20:12).

But the rise of modern evolutionary
beliefs has forced some scientists to
find an alternative explanation. They
claim that eyes gradually evolved
by chance over vast periods of time.
Charles Darwin, who first proposed
evolution by natural selection in 1859,
hoped that future research would
show that eyes had evolved from “simple
and imperfect” designs to “complex
and perfect” designs after thousands
of small changes.1

Ever since then, evolutionists have
searched for a series of simple eye
designs that become increasingly complicated,
reflecting this supposed history
of slow development.

Modern science has succeeded in
finding a series of eye designs that are far more complex and
varied than Darwin could ever have
imagined.

Modern science has succeeded in
finding a series of eye designs. However, they are far more complex and
varied than Darwin could ever have
imagined. There is also a major problem
for evolution. None of these eye
designs are “imperfect” or “simple.”
They all impeccably suit their purpose,
as though they were designed
that way from the beginning.

Types of Vision Systems

Despite the astonishing differences
among eyes, experts have attempted
to classify them into a few broad types
with many variations. Evolutionists
claim that the different vision systems
with varying levels of sophistication
support the idea that eyes evolved
from simple to complex.

But such a claim is completely
wrong for two reasons. First, none of
the types are simple, so this does not
help to explain the ultimate origin
of vision systems. Second, there are
major differences between the main
types, so it does not explain how one
vision system could have evolved into
another type.

An alternative paradigm can fully
explain this range of sophisticated
vision systems: different needs of different
organisms in different environments.
Instead of linking all eyes to
a common ancestor, we can see this
diversity as evidence of a common
Designer who filled his creation with
similar but not identical vision systems
that display a full spectrum of
designs suited for varied needs.

Each type of vision system—from the
earthworm’s simple light detectors to
the eagle’s complex lenses—performs
well in its respective way.

It is incorrect to say that any particular
design is imperfect or primitive.
Each type of vision system—from the
earthworm’s simple light detectors to
the eagle’s complex lenses—performs
well in its respective way.

In fact, human engineers use all
four main types of designs in different
situations (from simple light triggers,
called photodiodes, to complex
lens cameras). This demonstrates that
none of the types are a bad design.
They just have different purposes.

Let’s look more closely at eye designs
that use the four main types of vision
systems: light sensor, chamber with
no lens, compound eyes, and chamber
with lens.

Light Sensor

Worms look simple from the outside,
but they are actually a marvel
of sophisticated design. They breathe
through their skin, and their blood
vessels pump cold blood through their
body. They also have two tubes of
muscle in two layers that give them a
powerful burrowing ability.

Because worms usually must stay
in the soil to survive, they need to
sense light to ensure they remain
underground. To do this, they have
thousands of light-detecting photoreceptors
all over their body on nerve
endings, which tell them when they
are near or on the surface.

If you look up eye evolution in a
typical secular biology book, it will
claim that single photoreceptors
were the first stage in the eye’s evolution
and that they just appeared by
chance. However, photoreceptors are
extremely sophisticated biochemical
machines that could not possibly have
just appeared by a series of accidents.

To illustrate this point, see if you can
skim the following simplified summary
of how a photoreceptor works
without your eyes glazing over with
all the technical terms and concepts.
(The details truly are fascinating, once
you get the advanced biology degree
necessary to understand them.)

The visual cycle [of a photoreceptor] is the biological conversion of a
photon into an electrical signal. . . .
This process occurs via G-protein
coupled receptors called opsins
which contain the chromophore
11-cis retinal. 11-cis retinal is covalently
linked to the opsin receptor
via Schiff base forming retinylidene
protein. When struck by
a photon, 11-cis retinal undergoes
photoisomerization to all-trans
retinal which changes the conformation
of the opsin GPCR leading
to signal transduction cascades
which causes closure of cyclic
GMP-gated cation channel, and
hyperpolarization of the photoreceptor
cell.2

Sound complicated? The above is
only part of the process. Another complex
process is required to recharge
the photoreceptor and get it ready to
be activated again. You can’t keep the
receptor running unless the recharge
system is also in place.

So a single photoreceptor cell is a
prime example of what is known as
irreducible complexity. Many elements
are needed simultaneously in
a precise assembly to make the whole
machine possible. One of the most
complex parts of the photoreceptor is
the protein opsin, which consists of
chains of organic compounds that fold
into precise three-dimensional shapes
designed to interact with other structures
in the cell. Such structures and
interactions do not happen by chance.

But it gets even more challenging
for the evolutionist because it turns
out that some worms happen to have
more complex photoreceptors than
mammals. And these sensors are so
superbly designed that they are inspiring
new technology.

In 2016, a team of scientists at the
University of Michigan discovered a
new type of photoreceptor in roundworms
that is about 50 times more
efficient at capturing light than the
photoreceptor in the human eye. Scientists
are studying the new receptor
protein with the hope of producing
better sunscreens.3

Photoreceptors are so complex that
George Wald received the Nobel Prize
in 1967 for describing the process.
That should make it pretty obvious
that evolutionists cannot logically
start an explanation of eye evolution
by assuming photoreceptors existed at
the beginning of the supposed evolutionary
process.

Example: Worm. Instead of eyes, worms have
specialized clusters of photoreceptor
cells to help them detect and
respond to light. Industry uses
similar devices, called photodiodes,
for common functions like turning
off streetlights when the sun rises.
These cost-effective, durable devices
are ideal for their purpose, while
expensive cameras would be a waste
of money and energy.
Advantage: Compact and
Robust. Since
they live in the
soil, worms do
not need to see
3D images. They
simply need to
detect light on
the surface so
they can stay
underground.

Chamber with No Lens

The nautilus is a beautiful marine
mollusk that inhabits coral reefs in
tropical waters from the Indian Ocean
to the Pacific Ocean.

The nautilus has a chambered
eye with no lens. Chambered simply
means it has a container of some sort.
Instead of passing through a lens at
the front of the eye, the light is focused
through a tiny pinhole opening that
has to be just the right size and in the
right position for the vision system
to work.

Popular descriptions of the nautilus
claim that it has a “rudimentary” eye
because it uses a pinhole rather than
a lens. However, a pinhole camera is
not rudimentary at all but requires
precision just like a lens and has its
own advantages that lenses do not.

A pinhole camera has some advantages,
such as a large depth of field, a
wide angular field, and freedom from
any linear distortion (unlike lenses).
These features can be advantageous in
a crowded place—like a coral reef.

Opticians use pinholes for eye
tests. This shows that the design
is good for certain circumstances.
The fact that photographers today
sometimes select the pinhole camera
to obtain certain images is evidence
that the pinhole is not an
inferior design.

Compound Eyes

When you look quickly at a dragonfly,
it might appear to have two eyes. However,
if you look closer, it actually has
something like 30,000 separate eyes.
These tiny individual eyes are called
ommatidia and are grouped into two
patches called compound eyes. Incredibly,
each tiny ommatidium consists of
its own cornea, lens, and photoreceptor
cells, which distinguish brightness and
color on their own.

Compound eyes point in different
directions so an insect can see many
areas at once without moving its eye.
That is a useful tool when you are vulnerable
to attack. Another feature is a
fast response time to movement. The
fruit fly’s reaction time is five thousandth
of a second. That helps explain
why it is so hard to swat a fly.

Some insects do not have compound
eyes but simpler eyes called ocelli—photoreceptors which detect only
movement. Ocelli can detect lower
light levels and have a faster response
time, while compound eyes are better
at detecting details. It all depends on
the needs of the different insects.

Some insects have both compound
eyes and ocelli. Other insects, such
as bees, can even detect polarization
of light—which means they can detect
the position of the sun on cloudy days
so their work never stops.

The sophisticated vision systems
packed into tiny insects bear testimony
to a great Designer.

Chamber with Lens

An eagle’s eyesight is so powerful
it can spot a rabbit moving two
miles away. In fact, an eagle could be
described as a pair of eyes with wings!

Eagle eyes are similar in principle
to human eyes and the eyes of most
vertebrates (animals with backbones):
they all have a lens, an eyeball, and a
retina. However, God has varied this
basic design for each vertebrate’s special
purpose. Eagle eyes are optimized
to give the eagle super powerful eyesight
appropriate to living the high life.

An eagle’s eyes take up more space
than its brain. Eagles have a very
large number of light sensitive cells,
especially in what is called the fovea
area, where focusing takes place. The
eagle’s brain is also highly dedicated
to the eyes, with an estimated 80% of
an eagle’s sensory input coming from
its eyes.

The fact that the eagle’s body is
focused on expert vision makes complete
sense considering that its main
aim in life is to locate prey by sight.

Example: Eagle. All vertebrates
have rounded eyes
with a lens to focus
the light, similar
to man-made lens
cameras. This basic
design can have
endless variations,
depending on
the animal’s
needs. Eagles, for
example, have more
photoreceptor cells
in the back of the eye,
giving them as much
as eight times better
sight than humans
to detect mice over a
mile (2 km) away.
Advantage: High Resolution.
Focusing light
with a lens allows
vertebrates to
create sharp images
and detect a single
photon of light. With
their relatively large
brains to process
sensory information,
vertebrates can
gather maximum
information to make
the best possible
response to their
environment.

Eyes to See

The great diversity of eye designs is
not a product of evolution but rather
the result of an all-seeing Creator
designing the most appropriate eye for
every situation and occasion.

Any engineer who has ever worked
on imaging instruments will tell you
that the systems do not appear by
chance. Yet nothing that engineers
have produced begins to compare with
what God has designed.4

When you consider the amazing
design of eyes in creation and then
consider how eyes grow in the womb,
or when you consider how the eye can
repair and maintain itself for a lifetime,
you have to agree with Solomon that
there is only one option: the existence
of a Creator who is perfect in knowledge
and skill.

“The hearing ear and the seeing
eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

SourceThis article originally appeared on answersingenesis.org

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