Does finding your way at night like cats or owls make you dream? Some of us are more likely to succeed than others.
You don’t choose the color of your eyes. You’re probably saying to yourself that after all, it’s just an aesthetic detail, that it’s not really useful to have beautiful eyes, so it’s not a big deal… Think again -YOU ! The color of our eyes could well have a certain use beyond seduction. Certain colors would indeed be advantageous in everyday life.
What characteristics are we talking about? Those of owls, cats, skunks, wolves, raccoons… These species can find their way and move with discretion and precision in the middle of the night. They don’t have superpowers, but their nature is like this: their eyes allow them to see at night. Human beings do not have the same capabilities, but even with little light, we are able to find our way at night. For what ? Simply put, this is linked to the receptors present at the back of the retina of the eye. There are two types: cones (around 6 million per eye) and rods (around 120 million per eye).
And when it comes to seeing at night, rods come into play. More sensitive to light than cones, the latter are capable of capturing it even when it is weak. The cones are responsible for capturing the colors. According to science, people with a higher number of rods therefore cope better in the dark than others. What about eye color in all this?
According to scientific work, eye color could, to a certain extent, influence the ability to see at night. This depends on the level of melanin present in the iris. The higher the rate, the darker the eye. In greater quantities in dark eyes, it acts as a screen against the sun by attenuating its rays. Therefore, dark, brown or black, more pigmented eyes are less susceptible to glare, because darker eyes act as a somewhat stronger light filter.
People with light eyes, mainly blue or green, would, according to this logic, have a better ability to see at night because they have less pigment in the iris, which makes it more translucent and lets in more light. On the other hand, there is a disadvantage: on very sunny days, be careful of glare, because light-colored eyes are more sensitive to it!
One of the main studies on the question was carried out in the United States by the National Library of Science. The researchers studied the reactions to light stimuli in 36 people and came to the conclusion that a higher pigmentation density indeed allowed better management of the reaction to light. The conclusions of these studies, however, emphasize the fact that the influence of eye color remains quite limited, whether in terms of advantages or disadvantages. The abilities attributed to eye color should therefore be considered with caution.
