Scientists have discovered that eyes and brains in rodents seem to have uncannily similar drainage systems used for self cleaning, and there’s reason to think this might apply to us, too.

This sort of maintenance is necessary to wash away waste cells and fluids, and we know that brains make use of a tiny network of pipes known as the glymphatic system, similar to the lymphatic system that clears out rubbish from the rest of the body.

New tests on mice and rats show that the structures at the back of their eyes — like the optic nerve and the retina — take a page or two from the glymphatic system playbook. In the absence of the standard lymphatic vessels, they funnel waste products through a network a lot like the one the brain uses.