The oculus allows light to enter a construction.
Oculus is a term that is not included in the dictionary developed by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . The concept, however, is frequently used in the field of architecture . Within this field, the rounded hole that is created in a construction with the intention of letting in light or for decorative purposes is known as an oculus.
The oculus, therefore, is a type of window that is shaped like a circle or oval . The notion comes from the Latin word oculus , which can be translated as “eye.” In the English language, in fact, the word oculus is used directly to refer to this architectural element.
Origin of the oculus
The presence of oculi in architecture dates back to very ancient times. In the Roman Pantheon , which was built in the 27th century BC , an oculus allows sunlight to enter and air to circulate.
Starting in the 16th century , numerous architects began to include oculi in their designs. These openings are also known as portholes , which is the name given to the windows of some means of transportation, such as airplanes or boats.
Your presence today
However, oculus can also be found in a wide variety of places in our daily lives. Thus, for example, we find them on the doors of the operating rooms that exist in hospitals or in the windows that exist both on ships and even on airplanes.
In the case of boats, these shapes are used to give lighting to the interior. However, they are also very useful for ventilation and to help make boats much more resistant.
Boats usually have oculus-type windows.
Oculus in archeology
The notion of oculus is also used in archeology to name certain geometric drawings found in artistic manifestations of the Neolithic . The oculi, in this sense, are spirals or circles that experts interpret as the eyes of the figures.
Oculi have been recorded in statues and various creations of prehistoric man, who possibly wanted to include the gaze of the divinities through these forms.
The concept in medicine
We cannot ignore either that the term we are now analyzing is used within the medical field. Specifically, it is used to shape the so-called oculo-facio-cardio-dental syndrome ( OFCD ), which occurs very rarely.
It is identified because the person who suffers from it has to face numerous congenital anomalies. These include cataracts, heart disease, facial dysmorphia or what is known as dental radiculomegaly.
As soon as one is born or during childhood, this syndrome usually appears, leading the affected person to have a very hard life. And you will see the need to continually undergo treatment at both a dental, visual and even cardiac level. It is considered to be caused by the BCOR gene and, sometimes, it is not even detected given the uniqueness of this disease.