What eye color says about your health

1. Dark-eyed people are more prone to developing cataracts

"Nebulosity" appearing above the pupil is a sign of cataract, which leads to poor vision. According to medical and research data, people with dark eyes are susceptible to 1.5 – 2.5 times more at risk of developing cataracts than light-eyed people. Remember that protecting your eyes from ultraviolet radiation is one of the most important ways to prevent cataracts for everyone, especially dark-eyed people.

2. Blue-eyed people are less at risk of developing vitiligo

Vitiligo is a disease characterized by the formation of light patches on the skin due to loss of pigment. People with blue eyes can be calm – they are the least at risk of getting vitiligo (people with brown eyes are most susceptible to this disease). This is because two genes, TYR and OCA2, which make a person's eye color blue, also reduce the risk of vitiligo.

3. Blue-eyed people are more at risk of developing melanoma

In terms of genetics, melanoma and vitiligo – they are two opposites. Variations in the genes that protect a person from vitiligo are responsible for an increased risk of developing melanoma. The fact is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, i. the body attacks itself. Enhanced immune response – a possible reason for the tendency of brown-eyed people to develop vitiligo and thus their resistance to melanoma.

4. People with dark eyes are more sensitive to alcohol

Specialists have found that people with black or brown eyes drink less than their blue-eyed and green-eyed friends. It also found that light-eyed participants (both men and women) were much more likely to admit to tipping a drink or two. Therefore, they hypothesized that dark-eyed people are more sensitive to alcohol and drugs, so they need less of these substances to get the desired effect.

5. Women with bright eyes are more pain tolerant

Experts also came to this conclusion as a result of a study in which women were observed before and after childbirth. Interestingly, dark-eyed women had more pain-related problems than light-eyed women. Of course, the results are preliminary, but based on them, experts hope to one day find the genetic cause of the pain.

6. Light-eyed people are more prone to age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the main causes of vision loss after age 50 – damage to a small part of the eye near the center of the retina, due to which we have good vision. It was found that, in addition to smoking and genetic predisposition, eye color may also indicate a tendency to such a disease. The results of such a study are also preliminary, but caution still does not hurt.

7. A change in eye color may indicate diseases

If you notice redness of the whites of the eyes, this may indicate an allergy. If the whites of the eyes turn yellow, – this is one of the sure signs of liver disease. If one eye suddenly changes color, this may indicate hereditary diseases, such as neurofibromatosis, which leads to the formation of tumors of the nervous tissue. However, if you were born with different colored eyes, you have nothing to worry about.