Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: Because of these properties silica fibers are the material of choice in many optical applications , such as communications ( except for very short distances with plastic optical fiber ) , fiber lasers , fiber amplifiers , and fiber-optic sensors .
Simplified: An optical fiber is a thin fiber of glass or plastic that can carry light from one end to the other . The study of optical fibers is called fiber optics , which is part of applied science and engineering .