Published: 18 March 2025

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and the “wearin’ of the green,” we thought it would be fun and fitting to share some interesting facts about green…eyes! #1 Green is the rarest eye color. If your sparklers are truly green, you are something of a unicorn… only about 2% of the world’s population sport this hue. #2 Green-eyed people can be found all around the globe. There is a Chinese village, Liqian, where a high percentage of the population sports green eyes and lighter hair. #3 There isn’t any actual green pigment in a green eye. Melanin, a natural pigment that helps determine our skin, hair, and eye color, is found in all eyes. Brown eyes have quite a lot and blue eyes have relatively little. Green eyes are also low on melanin, but in addition they contain lipochrome, a yellowish, fat-soluble pigment. Lipochrome is also found in things like butter, eggs, and corn. So a little melanin, some lipochrome, and a cool light dispersing scattering called the Tyndall Effect combine to produce those rare green eyes! #4 At least 16 genes contribute to eye color. You might have been taught in biology class that two brown-eyed parents can have only brown-eyed children, but it’s more complicated than that. #5 Green eyes are popular in cultural references. Here are some famous characters with green eyes: · Jane Eyre—that plucky governess living in a “haunted” mansion, from the book Jane Eyre · Rapunzel—another courageous hero in Tangled · Scarlet O’Hara—feisty protagonist in Gone with the Wind · Scar—the scheming uncle in The Lion King · Mary Jane Watson, Catwoman, Batgirl—green eyes are popular in the world of comics · Sara Crewe—brave little girl from A Little Princess · Harry Potter – from the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling #6 In a large survey performed by All About Vision, green was voted the most attractive eye color, with over 20% of the 66,000 respondents choosing this hue. #7 More women than men have green eyes. Scientists aren’t sure why this is, but it suggests there is an underlying gender-related factor that causes this difference. #8 Animals can also sport green eyes. Green eyes occur in dogs, snakes, frogs, birds, monkeys, multiple members of the cat family, and many other animals. #9 People with green eyes are more likely to have certain health issues. Green eyes are more prone to melanoma of the uvea, a type of eye cancer, than are dark eyes. The same is true for macular degeneration. If you have green eyes, protect those beautiful peepers with a quality pair of sunglasses to lower your chances for these diseases!

Published: 09 March 2025

A common question asked during the eye exam is, “When is the puff coming?” Patients are referring to air-puff or non-contact tonometry. Tonometry is the procedure used to measure eye pressure, and this is important for diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma. In non-contact tonometry, a puff of air is used to measure the pressure inside the eye. The benefit of this test is there is no actual contact with the eye, but the air puff is sometimes very startling for patients. Some people hate that test and it isn’t the most accurate way to measure your eye pressure. Some doctors don’t even use the air-puff test. Instead, they place a yellow drop that consists of a numbing medicine and then shine a blue light on the eye. This is done in front of the slit lamp and a small tip gently touches the eye to measure the eye pressure. This procedure is called Goldmann tonometry and is considered the gold standard for measuring eye pressure. Another method for checking eye pressure is the Tonopen. This is a portable, hand-held instrument that is useful when patients can’t sit in front of the slit lamp to have their eye pressure checked. The Tonopen also requires a numbing drop to be placed in the eye, and the tip gently touches the eye. A common question related to tonometry is “what normal eye pressure?” Normal eye pressure ranges from 10-21 mm Hg. Eye pressure doesn't have any relationship to blood pressure. Many times, people are surprised that their eye pressure is high, but they have normal blood pressure. In general, there is no diet or exercise that will significantly affect eye pressure. It is therefore important to have your eye pressure checked regularly because there are usually no symptoms of high eye pressure until it has affected your vision. Article contributed by Dr. Jane Pan