Five Interesting Facts about the Human Eye

A beautiful set of eyes is known to capture the attention of room, and for good reason. With the eye being a centerpiece of one’s face, using anti-aging eye products is one of the more popular daily beauty and skin health practices. Besides being one of the most alluring and attractive physical features, the eyes are extremely powerful and complex organs that involve the use of over the half the brain.

In the Blink of an Eye

The phrase in the “blink of an eye” is used to describe quickness for a reason—one can blink as many as five times in a single second. The typical blink is over in as little as 100 milliseconds, with the average person blinking between 12-17 times per minute. This adds up to a total of 5.2 million blinks a year! Blinking helps the eye stay properly lubricated and remove foreign objects, with the eyelashes delivering a helpful hand.

Shark Eyes are Similar to Human Eyes

Sharks were once thought to have poor vision, but scientists have since discovered that shark eyes are surprisingly similar to human eyes. The similarity between the two has led to the use of shark corneas eyes in human corneal transplants. Unfortunately this transplant has not given recipients the super vision powers that sharks have, which include being able to see through water up to ten time better than humans.

Some Beauty Practices can Harm the Eye

While overgrown or “unibrow” eyebrows aren’t the most popular look, eyebrows serve the important function of keeping sweat and grime from entering the eye. Over clipping or completely removing eyebrows can contribute to red, itchy eyes and other problems. Likewise, those who over curl their eyelashes may reduce their lashes important ability to block dust and other debris. When it comes to cosmetics, the mascara wand is responsible for the most cosmetic related eye injuries; luckily most common types of makeup and creams that are used as part of skin system are completely safe.

500 Shades of Grey

The human eye is capable of distinguishing between an astounding 500 shades of grey. The eye interprets and categorizes colors via communication with the brain, which chooses a color based on stored sensations. The colors people see are actually that of the surface reflection of an object, not the object’s actual color. Newborn babies are born more or less colorblind and typically see their first color—red—when they are around four months old. Up to 8% of the human population has some sort of color impairment, with the problem being more prevalent among males.

The Eye Requires Teamwork  

The human eye is made up of over two million working parts and 107 million light sensitive cells.  Less than a tenth of these 107 million cells are used for color detection. Unlike other parts of the body, the eye works 24-7 and doesn’t require any “warm-ups” as other organs do. This constant work makes the eye one of the fastest healing parts of the body, able to repair minor corneal scratches in less than 48 hours in some circumstances. The average eyeball is roughly an inch in diameter and weighs in the area of .25 ounces.