17 Human Eye Facts: Discovering the Marvels of the Window to the Soul

The human eye is one of the most important organs in the human body. It is responsible for allowing humans to see and perceive the world. However, this organ is also very complex and performs various interesting tasks. 

However, we often do not appreciate our eyes enough or even give them much thought. So, in this article, let us discuss some amazing and interesting facts about these fascinating organs, the human eyes.

Interesting Human Eye Facts

๐Ÿ‘‰ There are several protective features around the eyes.

Protective Features Around The Eyes

Our facial features and skull have evolved to protect our fragile eyeballs. The socket is depressed into the skull and protects half the eye with bone.

Eyebrows are present to catch sweat and then divert it away from our eyes. Eyelashes work as a filter for dust-like particles and can even sense something close to the eye and then trigger the eyelids to close.

Each human eyelash has a life span of 5 months, and the overall length of all eyelashes shed by humans is almost 98 feet.

๐Ÿ‘‰ The human eyes are one of the most fragile organs.

The human eyes are still one of the most fragile organs, despite having various significant protective features, mainly while experiencing modern hazards, such as industrial substances and artificial light.

As the fascinating features of our eyes have not caught up with these hazards, proper eye protection is vital in this modern era.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Eyes are filled with vitreous humor.

Eyes Filled With Vitreous Humor

More than 80% of the human eye is made of a specific kind of firm and jelly-like fluid known as vitreous humor.

This substance is crucial to the health and function of the human eyes. Vitreous humor is made of 90% water; the rest is a mixture of proteins, collagen, sugars, and salts.

This Vitreous humor is important to maintain the shape of the human eye and keep the fragile retina in its actual place.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Brown is the most common color of the human eye.

Almost 79% of the worldโ€™s population has been regarded to have brown eyes. After this, the next most common eye color is blue, as around 8-10% of people have blue-colored eyes, and the following, or 5%, is hazel or amber. However, some rare colors of the human eyes include violet, red, and grey.

Also, the human eyes can heal really fast. If someone has a minor corneal scratch, it may be healed within 48 hours with good care.

๐Ÿ‘‰ The human eyes see things upside down.

The Human Eyes

What we see is made up of light reflected from the scenes and objects we look at. However, as the cornea at the front of our eye is curved, it mainly bends the light as it enters the eye.

This means the image becomes upside down when it touches the retina at the back portion of the eye. When the human brain interprets this image, it turns it back the correct way, and hence, we can see the world correctly.

๐Ÿ‘‰ We, humans, have a blind spot.

We may feel that we see everything before us, but we all have a tiny blind spot. This is a small portion of our visual field that corresponds to the position of the optic disk, where the blood vessels enter and the optic nerve exits.

Though experts are not sure why we cannot notice this blind spot; however, one theory is that the human brain fills in the missing part using visual cues in the surrounding.

Another theory tells that the overlapping vision of two eyes means they can see each otherโ€™s blind spots.

๐Ÿ‘‰ The human eyes can detect health conditions.

Human Eyes Can Detect Health Conditions

According to doctors, the human eyes can detect different health conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The doctor can detect these issues by observing the blood vessels present in the retina.

The human retina is a good predictor of the condition of blood vessels throughout the entire system of our body.

As per research, if someone ties a tie too tightly, it may increase the risk of glaucoma in men because too tight a knot may increase eye pressure, increasing the risk of having this disease.

๐Ÿ‘‰ The human eyes can recognize 10 million different colors

Though there are a lot of theories on this topic, studies depending on the work of Gunter Wyszecki show that humans can distinguish almost about 10 million colors.

All colors in the light spectrum visible to humans are made up of combinations of green, red, and blue.

Such the color yellow is a combination of green and red, whereas purple is nothing but a combination of blue and red, and so on.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Iris scans are more secure than human fingerprints.

Iris Scans

The iris is unique to each person, just like a fingerprint. However, unlike the corresponding fingers on each hand, the iris in each human eye is also very different.

The irises of the human eyes have more than 256 unique features, compared to our fingerprints, which only have around 40. Thus, the iris scan for biometric systems is much more secure than human fingerprints.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Eye colors have almost no influence on vision.

Many suggest that people with green and blue eyes are more sensitive to light than people with brown eyes.

Also, some even say that brown eyes are more susceptible to cataracts. Moreover, some studies suggest that people with brown eyes are better at several responsive actions, like racquet sports, while individuals with light-colored eyes may be better strategic thinkers.

However, some studies dispute these theories as well. However, everyone should use tinted glasses to protect their eyes.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Humans blink between 20,000 to 30,000 times.

Humans Blink Between 20,000 To 30,000 Times

Scientists say we blink between 20,000 and 30,000 timers every day on average. These blinks last almost two-tenths of a second,which can be about 1.5 hours each day.

Blinking can help by removing dirt and lubricating the eyes with tears. Each of these blinks can keep the eyes healthy.

As per another study, there is even a neurological function for blinking. It even suggests that some parts of the brain are attached to vision and may undergo a mini reset that might be important to the brain’s operation.

๐Ÿ‘‰ The human eyes can become sunburned.

Though we all know that our skin is sunburned, you may still not know that even your eyes can get sunburned.

This condition is known as photokeratitis and may cause redness, pain, tearing, blurriness, swelling, and even sensitivity to light.

Similar to how the skin may peel after sunburn, photokeratitis can even result in the โ€œsloughing offโ€ of the corneal epithelium.

The effects of this issue may be felt very long after exposure, so it is vital to wear good sunglasses.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Being farsighted and nearsighted depends on your eye shape

Farsighted And Nearsighted Eye

Being farsighted or nearsighted may depend on the shape of the human eye. The most common vision problem, myopia or nearsightedness, can usually happen to people with longer eyes. This means light is focused just short of the human retina when looking into the distance.

However, for those who have hyperopia or farsightedness, the eye shape is too short, meaning the main focus point on nearby things is behind the retina.

These issues can create blurry sight at a certain distance and must be treated with lenses.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Humans will need glasses after some time.

Near the age of 40, most people start to face a specific condition known as presbyopia. This issue is mainly the hardening of lenses in the eye and even makes it more difficult to concentrate on things that are too close. The issue of Presbyopia frequently intensifies around the age of 50 because the lenses start to harden with age.

Thus, most people will require glasses by the time they reach the age of 40 or 50 years.

๐Ÿ‘‰ 80% of all vision impairments can be cured or prevented

Vision Impairments Can Be Cured

According to the World Health Organization estimate, more than 80% of all vision impairments may be cured or prevented.

The WHO has offered information about several successful public-private partnerships that could change the eye health of those nations that encouraged them.

These measures have resulted in a substantial reduction in trachoma and onchocerciasis-related blindness and in various types of eye issues and infections.

๐Ÿ‘‰ In photos, the red-eye is due to the blood vessels.

You may wonder why your eyes appear red in several photos. The reason is the blood vessels. The ” red-eye ” effect occurs when a bright light source or a camera flash is reflected back at the camera.

This reflected light usually illuminates the blood vessels of the connective tissue located at the back of the eye, which can produce the red color you see in different photos.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Using screens may be led to CVS.

Using Screens May Lead To CVS

According to some studies, 50-90% of people who need to work at a computer screen may show symptoms of CVS or computer vision syndrome.

CVS is not a particular issue but a collection of several issues relating to eye pain and strain due to too much screen exposure. 

Working at a screen will force your eyes to focus and refocus most of the time. Also, the glare and brightness make your eyes work much harder, and over time this repetitive strain may take a toll on the eye muscles.

So, the human eye is an amazing organ that allows us to perceive the world around us. This complex organ also works fascinatingly.

At the end of this article, we learned about 17 really amazing facts about the human eye. These facts offer us a clear picture of this interesting organ of our bodies. If you want to collect some more amazing facts, you may visit our website.

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