People with blue eyes may have better sight in dim conditions than those with brown eyes, according to LJMU research reported in New Scientist.
The theory could explain why the colour has persisted in certain populations, for example in Northern Europe where skies are darker.
The study, described as “preliminary,” by Dr Kyoko Yamaguchi is based on an idea she had when first moving to Europe but the finding needs confirming in a larger study.
Kyoko, is based in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and specialises in studies the genetic basis of skin, hair and eye colour.
When she moved to Europe from Japan, she was struck by how much dimmer the lighting was in buildings, often finding it too dark to read by.
This made her wonder whether there was a biological basis for this weaker lighting, rather than just a cultural one. To learn more, she and her student Faith Erin Cain tested the vision of 40 people of European descent who had either blue or brown eyes.
After the volunteers sat in darkness for 30 seconds, the researchers gradually increased the brightness of the lighting until the participants were able to read a sequence of letters on a wall 3 metres away. Those with blue eyes needed a light level of 0.7 lux on average, compared with 0.82 lux for those with brown eyes.
According to a report in New Scientist, other experts say the idea that having blue eyes helps in dim conditions makes sense, but the number of volunteers in this study was too small to draw firm conclusions. “The concept is plausible,” says Cassie Ludwig at Stanford University in California. Pirro Hysi at King’s College London says: “This is possible, [but] not proven because the analyses were based on a small sample.”
If the finding is confirmed, it might help explain why blue eyes evolved in some populations in northern Europe, says Dr Yamaguchi.
The current thinking is blue eyes were a side effect of selection for lighter skin and blonde hair, and the driving force behind this was a need to get sufficient vitamin D. Our bodies use ultraviolet rays to make vitamin D in the skin, so darker skin can result in vitamin D deficiency in regions with little sunlight.
However, blue eyes may be a disadvantage in bright light. Some studies suggest blue irises scatter more light than brown ones, degrading image quality.
Dr Yamaguchi hopes to secure funding for a larger study that would also include people with a wider range of eye colours, but Mackey says this may be a struggle. “Although eye colour is very interesting to the general public, it is really hard to get funding to do research in the area,” he says.
People with blue eyes may have better sight in dim conditions than those with brown eyes, according to LJMU
LJMU
Sir John Moores CBE (25 January 1896 – 25 September 1993) was an English businessman, telegraphist, football club owner, politician and philanthropist, most famous for the founding of the now defunct Littlewoods retail and football pools company. Liverpool John Moores University is named in his honour.
research reported in New Scientist. The theory could explain why the colour has persisted in certain populations, for example in Northern Europe where skies are darker.
People with blue eyes can read better in darker conditions than those with brown eyes, a small study has found. This suggests having blue eyes is an advantage in low-light conditions, and might help explain why the trait evolved in northern Europe.
While lighter-colored eyes may be more sensitive to sunlight, they are not necessarily more sensitive to vision. In fact, blue eyes have better visual acuity than brown eyes. This means that blue-eyed people can see small details more clearly.
Lighter-colored eyes have less pigment to protect against sun damage and UV radiation compared to darker-colored eyes. This means that people with green, hazel, or blue eyes are more sensitive to light and more susceptible to UV damage.
If a person has a non-functioning OCA2 gene, they will always have blue eyes, because the HERC2 gene can't make the broken OCA2 gene work. Likewise, if a person has a HERC2 gene which doesn't work, the OCA2 gene will “underachieve,” failing to produce enough pigment to make brown eyes, resulting in blue eyes.
Blue eyes are blue due to a lack of pigment. As weird as it sounds, blue eyes aren't really the color blue—they don't contain any blue pigmentation. All eye colors are determined by melanin, which is the same pigment that gives skin its color. The more melanin, the darker the skin.
While the global data on eye colors is limited, red and violet eyes are likely the rarest eye colors since they only affect a small group of people with albinism. But if you exclude eye colors brought on by albinism, then green and gray are likely the rarest.
When broken down by gender, men ranked gray, blue, and green eyes as the most attractive, while women said they were most attracted to green, hazel, and gray eyes. Despite brown eyes ranking at the bottom of our perceived attraction scale, approximately 79% of the world's population sports melanin-rich brown eyes.
Green, the mixture of blue and yellow, can be seen everywhere and in countless shades. In fact, the human eye sees green better than any color in the spectrum. This, along with many other facts about this earthly color, makes it an essential part of our everyday lives.
Of all eye colors, brown seems to be the only one that could be called “advantageous” from a survival perspective. While more research is needed, darker irises are linked to a number of health benefits, including these: Reduced risk of macular degeneration. Lower melanoma risk.
Having blue eyes has its advantages. They lower your risk of developing cataracts, for instance. However, they might increase your risk of certain health problems like eye cancer. Protecting your eyes and getting regular checkups is important no matter the color of your irises.
Although the deep blue eyes of some people such as Elizabeth Taylor can appear purple or violet at certain times, "true" violet-colored eyes occur only due to albinism. Eyes that appear red or violet under certain conditions due to albinism are less than 1 percent of the world's population.
Eye color doesn't significantly affect the sharpness of your vision, but it can affect visual comfort in certain situations. It all comes down to the density of the pigment melanin within your iris, which determines what colors of light are absorbed or reflected.
One of the study's main findings was that gray eyes are both the rarest and the statistically most attractive eye color, with hazel and green following closely behind. Conversely, brown eyes are the most common color yet the least attractive to the survey's respondents.
D., associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh, found that healthy, pregnant women with light-colored eyes had a higher tolerance for pain than those with brown or hazel eyes.
Blue eyes get their colour the same way water and the sky get their blue colour — they scatter light so that more blue light reflects back out. The iris is made up of two layers. For almost everyone — even people with blue eyes — the back layer (called the pigment epithelium) has brown pigment in it.
The correct answer is Iris. The pattern of brown and red pigment, collagen fibres, and the topography of the iris determines the colour of the human eye. Iris is the coloured area at the front of the eye.
It is possible for two blue-eyed parents to have a brown-eyed child. Blue eye color is recessive while brown eye color is dominant. So, if the gene for brown eye color is present in the parents' DNA, then it is possible for their child to have brown eyes.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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