My philosophy is that the French say exactly what they mean. In this case, there is a subtle difference in the use of the preposition.

Not only our taste is involved in our appreciation of food. **We eat through our eyes**, and our appetite is also influenced by aroma. Therefore, we can take a fragrant approach to food and talk about aromatherapy and cooking.
http://all-foods-natural.com/club/content/view/385/105/

"We don't only eat through our mouths," He said. "We also eat through our ears, through our eyes and through our thoughts…
http://www.parmarth.com/updates/oct2000/index.html


The second component of mind is perception (sanna). This is the process of becoming aware, similar to waking up as opposed to being sound asleep or unconscious, or dead. It refers to memory as well as awareness of sense impressions, covering both the primary sensation resulting from contact with an object **by way of eye**, ear, nose, tongue, or body, and the recall of previous impressions.

…there are some who maintain that this is the "soul," the "spirit," which moves into and out of the mind and receives stimuli **by way of the eye**, ear, nose, tongue and body, and consider it to be "the self."http://www.buddhanet.net/budasa9.htm

We consume also **through the eye**, the ear, the nose and the skin. That
food too has to be Saathwik, purifying and not pungent or stale and corrupt.
http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume16/sss16-19.pdf

You get into the brain **by way of the eye** if you’re at all smart or reasonable.
http://keithridgway.blogspot.com/2007/11/advice-for-young-wr...

Exploring food through the eyes of a chef, a food scientist, a social scientist, or an ecologist reveals a multitude of meanings... food as nourishment, food as symbolism, food as medicine, food as resource, and food as the pleasures of the table.
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/programs/pdf/CEL-LinkingFood-Visu...

Seeing Through the Eye
Finally, a poet’s language may dress up perceptions in superfluous and distracting clothing, betraying perhaps a fear that what has been seen **with or through the eye** is not interesting enough.
http://www.cprw.com/Mook/sail.htm

La perception **par l'œil** ou par l'oreille des phénomènes qui nous entourent sont limités par les récepteurs mis en jeux.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perception

D'un objet perçu **par l'œil** naît la conscience visuelle. De même que de l'objet perçu par l'oreille naît la conscience auditive, etc. Donc, la conscience n'est que pure attention, elle n'analyse pas. Voir n'est pas reconnaître et entendre n'est pas comprendre. De plus, à l'extinction de sa base, la conscience disparaît aussi.
http://www.geneva-vihara.org/fr/dukkha.html

Désir
C'est le plus souvent **par l'œil** que se manifeste la flamme du désir. Quand il brûle au plus profond du corps, il est trop tard pour allumer des contre-feux.
http://rad2000.free.fr/desitend.htm


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Note added at 3 hrs (2008-01-25 16:48:37 GMT)
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I meant to include "by way of" as an alternate in the translation box.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2008-01-25 17:00:09 GMT)
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Mangez par les yeux !
http://www.amazon.fr/Mangez-par-les-yeux/lm/RJL05K34R7CH2

Nous obtenons beaucoup d’information par les yeux. Selon certaines études, nous captons 80% des informations extérieures **par les yeux**.
http://www.maxoe.com/games/bonus-games-gym-des-yeux-le-pr-is...

Assis sur des tatamis en paille de riz, le repas commence par le Macha, le thé de cérémonie, puis se continue par un ballet de petits plats pleins de délicatesse et de poésie. **Ces mets se mangent autant par les yeux, le coeur que par la bouche.** La base reste végétarienne avec une diversité de légumes et de tofus. Plus de 10 sortes de soupe de miso sont proposées, le miso étant une forme de soja fermenté. Le fondateur de la macrobiotique, George Oshawa, a puisé dans cette tradition ancestrale pour faire de l’alimentation une philosophie.
http://www.buddhachannel.tv/portail/spip.php?article382


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Note added at 9 days (2008-02-03 14:58:06 GMT) Post-grading
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You're welcome, suezen, and thank you!