Why Are People With Light Colored Eyes More Sensitive to Light?

The answer is they have less melanin than brown eyes do. The melanin helps protect the retina from UV damage and blue light, blue eyes are at higher risk of developing UV-related eye damage. Light eyes such as blue, green or gray are more sensitive to sunlight. Even though light colored eyes are more sensitive to sunlight that does not mean they are more sensitive to vision. Blue eyes have better visual acuity than brown eyes which means people with blue eyes can see small details more clearly. 

Blood Clot In The Eye

Blood clot in the eye might freak you out a bit, but it is rarely a medical issue. Just by a strong sneeze or cough, a blood vessel in the eye can burst or even increased blood pressure may also cause these blood spots to appear on the eye. It causes conjunctiva when a tiny blood artery bursts just below your eye’s clear surface. It is usually a harmless condition that goes away in 2 weeks, but if it does not consult your doctor.

Red spot can be caused by:

• Sneezing 
• Coughing 
• Vomiting
• Excessive physical effort
• Damage to the eye (trauma)
• Irritability or allergic responses
• Rubbing one’s eye vigorously
• Excessive straining while using the restroom
• Use of contact lenses

Dilated Pupils

Dilated pupils are the area in the center of the black part of the eyes, that is known as the pupil. It gets bigger if your pupils are dilated. Each eye’s pupil is the same size, the size of your pupils can alter how much light enters your eye. This means that the iris, which is the dark-colored part around the pupil, has small muscles that regulate pupil size. Pupils enlarge when it is dark to let more light in and pupils shirk in bright light to block light. 

Having dilated pupils isn’t anything to be concerned about, but if you notice one pupil is larger than the other one and you experience vertigo, headache, confusion or difficulty balancing it may be a sign of a severe condition.

Red Eyes After Swimming

After being in the pool for a while, your eyes could look red and irriating. Many will say it’s the high chlorine concentration, but red irritated eyes are caused by sweat and urine in the water according to the CDC. In order to remove bacteria, swimming pools are cleaned with chlorine. If you wear contacts it’s highly recommended to not wear any if your vision allows you to swim safely. If you do decide to swim with your contacts in, make sure to cover them with goggles and throw away the lenses if they get wet. 

Your Heart & Eyes

It’s amazing how the eyes can tell emotions and illnesses. Looking into the inner parts of your eyes may be able to identify other abnormalities that indicate diseases of the heart and of the blood vessels. Narrowing blood vessels, swelling, microaneurysms, and leaking of fluid from blood vessels may indicate complications from diabetes and high blood pressure. When retinal blood vessels either to or from the heart are clogged by blood clots, inflammatory cells, or fatty deposits, a “stroke in the eye” can occur. The heart delivers oxygen and essential nutrients to the different parts of the body. Any problem that occurs with how the heart is functioning will affect the functioning of the eyes. Make sure to stay up to date with your eye exams, early signs of heart disease may manifest in the eyes before any other organ. 

Do Not Sleep With Contacts!

Many of us wear contacts and accidentally fall asleep with them in. That could be very dangerous for your eyes, could develop infections and possible vision loss. In order for your eyes to remain healthy and appear white your eyes require oxygen. You may also scratch the lining of your eyelid and get dry eyes, your eyelids may also stick to your cornea if you have dry eyes. Once you wake up and try to open your eyes, you may rip off some of your cornea’s epithelium which leads to corneal abrasion and pain. Protect your eyes and take your contact lenses out before falling asleep.

Reflex Tears vs Emotional Tears

Basal tears are present all the time in healthy eyes, they come in two different types, reflex and emotional tears. Both of those types of tears are actually good for us. Reflex tears are the same as basal tears, but when our eyes get irritated, basal tear production goes into overdrive in the effort to safely flush out whatever was causing the problem. That is why we tear up when cutting up onions or when we get something in our eyes. Sometimes crying and then feeling refreshed and more positive about life afterwards is a good feeling, even though nothing really changed about the situation we started to cry for in the first place. Emotional tears actually clear out chemicals that build up in times of stress. It doesn’t just release pent-up emotion, it also purges harmful chemicals and triggers pain-regulating hormones. Which is why we feel better after crying.

Don’t Forget To Blink!

Many of us spend a lot of time in front of screens, especially in this modern time. Either working hard or hardly working, our eyes work harder to view these screens, putting us at risk of developing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) which is also known as digital eye strain. People who spend 2+ hours every day are at the greatest risk of developing CVS because when we are focused on screens, we tend to blink less often which causes the eyes to be dry and irritated. We also tend to use devices that have a glare on the screen, which causes the eyes to constantly adjust between light and dark areas. Lastly, viewing screens at an improper distance or angle, usually too close which causes the eye muscles to work harder. To prevent computer vision syndrome, adjusting your devices to increase in font sizes or zooming can reduce straining your eyes.

Don’t forget the 20-20-20 rule, the best way to take breaks from your screen. Every 20 min, take 20 second breaks and look at something 20 feet away. This will reduce your risk of developing CVS and it also gives your eyes a chance to rest and refocus.

Protecting Your Child’s Vision

Do you see your child squinting or rubbing their eyes? If so, that may be a sign to get their eyes checked. Some other signs may be holding objects too close to their face, often covering one eye, being a bit clumsy, and struggling in school.

All of those are signs of taking your child to the eye doctor to make sure their eyes are healthy.

Maintaining Your Eye Health

You may think that since you can see well and your eyes are not bothering you, it’s still important to get your eyes checked on a regular basis to prevent problems from occurring. There are lots of silent eye conditions or don’t have any warning signs until your vision is lost. A few tips to keep your eyes healthy:

• Eat right: Eating healthy foods with antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. That would be your colorful fruits and vegetables, especially berries and green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Salmon and tuna are also great nutrients for the eyes since they are high in omega-3.
• Keep your body healthy: Regular exercise and move daily to keep your weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure in the normal range. 
• Good hand hygiene: It’s easy to transmit germs, including viruses, into the eyes, possibly causing an infection so avoid rubbing your eyes and keep your hands away from your face.