5 Amazing Eye Facts

We all know that maintaining eye health is important, and that there are a number of different parts that make up the eye. There are a lot of interesting facts most people don’t know about eyes.

The more melanin in your iris, the darker your eye color will be. Melanin is a dark brown pigment, which also determines the color of your skin and hair.

There’s far less melanin in the irises of individuals with blue eyes, which allows a substance called collagen to show through.

There are two types of cells located in the retina of our eye. These cells are known as rods and cones.

There are over 100 million light-sensitive rods in our eyes that are unable to recognize colors, but help us see better in the dark. The other seven million cells are cones, which enable us to see colors and details.

The average person blinks 17 times a minute, which is over five million times throughout the year. The amount of times you actually blink depends on what you’re doing.

For instance, if you’re talking to someone, you tend to blink more often. Or, you’re likely to blink less while reading, which is why your eyes often feel tired and dry after reading.

It’s often believed that 20/20 vision amounts to perfect eyesight. However, 20/20 is an American term used for visual acuity measurements.

According to opticians, 20/20 vision is what a person should normally be able to see when reading an eye exam chart from a distance of 20 feet.

Each of your eyes has a small blind spot in the back of the retina where the optic nerve is attached. However, your eyes work together to fill in each other’s blind spot, so you don’t notice the hole in your vision.

All in all, there’s a lot more to the human eye than most people realize.