Eye Color: How Does it Affect Your Eye Health?

It’s fun to think about what eye color you would like to have if you could choose, but did you know that your eye color may actually affect your vision?

While the sharpness of your vision won’t be affected by your eye color, the amount of pigment CAN affect how sensitive you are to light. For example, lighter eyes (blue or light green) may be more sensitive when they’re out in the sun than brown eyes. That’s why, regardless of the time of year, it’s important to protect your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses.

Lighter colored eyes can also be associated more frequently with other eye problems—because UV light can affect them more strongly than darker eyes. Cataracts and macular degeneration are two problems in particular that may be more common in lighter-eyed patients according to some studies. While this doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get cataracts if you have light-blue eyes, it does mean you should be vigilant about safeguarding them against UV rays.

So if you want to protect those baby blues, make sure you’ve got an excellent paid of UV-blocking sunglasses and wear them year-round! And if you haven’t yet made your annual appointment, give our office a call!