Dont Know if My Eyes Are Blue or Green

Poets romanticize eyes as the window to the soul, but they could more accurately be viewed as windows to our health. Those enchanting green eyes could be a sign of a higher risk of eye cancer. And the person with those meltingly chocolate eyes might have a faster reaction time than someone with blue eyes, according to research out of Kentucky.

Despite studies suggesting that health risks or certain physical abilities may be related to eye color, you really can't predict health outcomes or quality of vision based on color alone.

With that cautionary note, consider these factoids about eye color:

• Blue eyes. "Clinically speaking, people with blue or light-colored irises do tend to be more light-sensitive," says Ruth Williams, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an ophthalmologist at the Wheaton Eye Clinic in Chicago. "This is likely due to the sparsity of light-absorbing pigment in the eye." The more pigment you have, the less light gets through the iris.
• Gray, green, and blue eyes. Lighter-colored eyes may mean an increased risk for cancer. Because lighter eyes have less pigment to protect them from harmful ultraviolet rays, it's true that light-eyed people have a greater lifetime risk for melanoma of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye, than their dark-eyed peers. "People with light iris color need to be diligent in wearing UV-protected sunglasses," advises Dr. Williams. Melanoma of the uvea is an extremely rare cancer that affects the eye in about six of every million adults in the United States each year, and it is estimated that the incidence of the disease in black Americans, who are usually brown-eyed, is less than one-eighth the incidence in white Americans. In addition, although this is not directly related to vision, people with gray, green, or blue eyes tend to be fair-skinned and are at greater risk for skin cancers in general.
• Brown eyes. A study done at the University of Louisville showed that people with brown eyes have slightly better reaction times when participating in certain athletic activities than light-eyed people. However, don't use this small study to rationalize picking only brown-eyed people for your softball team. "In my experience, I couldn't say we can judge performance based on eye color," says optometrist Guadalupe Mejia, OD, of the University of Louisville.

Eye Conditions to Be Aware Of

Certain changes in the appearance of your eyes may signal underlying conditions that need to be checked out by a doctor:

• Red whites. Healthy eyes have fairly bright whites, so when the whites of your eyes turn red, that's a red flag. "Red is a sign of dryness, infection, or allergies," says Dr. Mejia. Though you can manage some of these issues with over-the-counter products like allergy medications or eye drops, see an eye doctor if the redness and irritation persist.
• Yellow whites. "We know with liver impairment you get a yellowing of the eyes," also known as jaundice, Mejia explains. If the yellowing is new and you've never discussed it with your doctor, call for an appointment.
• Hazy pupils. When cataracts develop, they can create a visible white/blue fogginess over the pupil of an eye.
• White corneal ring. "Changes that can happen with the cornea make it look like the eye is changing," notes Mejia. Cholesterol deposits in the cornea (the dome-shaped covering of the eye), for instance, can create the appearance of a new white ring. Talk with your doctor if you notice that the color of the ring around your eyes has changed.

Annual eye exams will help you stay on top of changes in the blood vessels in the eye that could reflect the effects of diabetes, high blood pressure, or glaucoma. In between annual exams, however, "if the white parts of the eye aren't white, that would be a warning sign to get to a doctor," says Mejia.

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Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/vision-center/does-eye-color-reveal-health-risks.aspx

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