15 Oct 2025
October in St Albans is full of colour, tradition, and community spirit.
Highfield Park’s Apple Day is one of those highlights that brings families, neighbours, and visitors together to celebrate orchards, harvests, and the simple joy of crisp autumn apples. You may well find apple pressing, local produce, storytelling, children’s trails, and the chance to explore orchards that date back to the 1930s. It’s one of those events that makes St Albans special – a mixture of history, community, and plenty of cake.
And if Highfield isn’t your side of town, Shenley usually have something fabulous on too.
But why do we call someone the “apple of our eye”? The phrase isn’t just about fruit bowls or market stalls. It goes back to Old English, when the word “apple” meant any round object. The pupil – the dark, round centre of the eye – was thought of as the most precious part of a person’s sight, so it was literally called the apple of the eye. The phrase crops up in the King James Bible of 1611 (“Keep me as the apple of the eye”) and Shakespeare uses it too. Over time, it shifted into a metaphor for anything we cherish and protect.
And it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Our pupils are the gateway to sight. They let in light, expand in the dark, shrink in bright sun, and adjust to every change in between.
In autumn, those changes are sharper than ever. The sun hangs low on the school run, headlights bounce off wet pavements, and by late afternoon we’re already adjusting to twilight. Our pupils are working hard, every second of every day.
At EYES on St Albans, we see the difference autumn makes to people’s vision. Some struggle with glare, some with night driving, and others simply notice their eyes feel more
tired. That’s why an eye test at this time of year isn’t just a tick-box exercise – it’s a way of protecting your sight for the months ahead. We look beyond prescriptions, checking eye health, sensitivity to light, and the early signs of conditions that can affect long-term vision.
And yes, apples themselves do have a small role to play! They’re packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants that help maintain healthy blood vessels in the eyes. They won’t give you superhuman night vision – despite what the wartime “carrots help you see in the dark” myth suggested – but they’re part of the healthy lifestyle that supports long-term sight.
So this October, as you wander through Highfield Park’s orchards or pick up apples from the Charter Market, take a moment to think about your own “apples.” Protect your pupils, reduce glare with the right lenses, and book an EYES examination if it’s been a while. After all, when it comes to your health, your eyes really are the apple of your eye.
