The Origin and Purpose of Blue Eyes

Why do some people have blue eyes? What is the evolutionary advantage of having blue eyes? Where did blue eyes evolve? Blue eyes have piqued curiosity for centuries, standing out as a mesmerising and rare trait among humans. Discover the underlying science behind blue eyes as we explore various theories and genetic factors that contribute to their existence. They were mainly associated with Mesolithic Western Hunter Gatherers like Cheddar man but the origin and story of this phenotype is complicated. A new study from Liverpool may have the answer as to what benefit this trait has - better ability to see in low light.
This channel depends on your support:
Patreon: / survivethejive
All Links: linktr.ee/SurvivetheJive
Sources:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.11...
www.sciencedaily.com/releases...

[@DarthQueefious]

I remember my grandmother saying to me "I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was blue-eyed"

[@danielturczan2485]

Speak your truth, king.

[@sharoncooke1719]

Love it😅

[@stumccabe]

Lol.

[@ConradAinger]

Macedonians often did. Alexander the Great, for instance.

[@johnnybaxter1953]

Honestly, she probably did considering she had red hair

[@Drikkerbadevand]

Having been in the military, the light sensitivity of blue and green eyed people compared to those with black and dark brown eyes was immediately apparent.. some were completely blind while most with light colored eyes could see enough to walk around in the dark

[@floridaman318]

I didn't notice that at all when I was in. I have brown eyes and I am sensitive to light.

[@Leif208]

@@floridaman318 It's all relative. On an individual basis, you wouldn't know the difference unless you could actually make a direct comparison, which you can't (have blue eyes, then switch to brown eyes). The scientific conclusion is simply based on statistical comparisons.

[@stardust949]

wow, that's cool! Of course---I think our sensitivity isn't an asset in intensive Sun

[@Kurikost_]

i doubt it, the light goes through the pupille i think the iris (that what the eyes makes colorful) has nothing to do with the light incoming.

[@anthonykoller4459]

I have Blue Eyes and bright lights and Summers hurts my eyes 😮

[@bethharding4920]

Blue eye owner here…I’ve been asked most of my life when I’m reading “don’t you need a light on?”…nope I can see just fine. But the sun blinds me …sunglasses are a must..and oncoming cars at night cause starbursts and halos…This explains why. Great video 😎

[@CA-lf7jt]

Wow me too!!!

[@graciefreebush394]

Did you get them on Ebay?

[@Shaman196]

A few years ago My wife and I went camping in a very Dark place in The San Rafael Swell Utah......it was so beautiful with the light coming from the Stars, to me it was slightly dimmer than twilight. We were also tripping on shrooms 🍄

[@bethharding4920]

@@graciefreebush394 nope, straight from the factory

[@Pandabee11]

The oncoming cars thing is a stigmatism.

[@dannyknightblade4592]

Like red hair, I personally find blue eyes to be quite beautiful and I hope they'll always exist.

[@annemurphy9339]

Blue eyes are as beautiful as the blue skies or ocean - my favorite.

[@gabyradu8266]

@@annemurphy9339 Its true. People with blue eyes stand out more in dating scene(if they are decent looking ) . Since I was a child I got praised for my blue eyes and at that time I found it very annoying . When I was child my parents worked for few yrs in Iraq and in a evening some Iraqi women tried to stole me hiding me under their skirts . After I got married my wife confessed that she pick me because I was the only one with blue eyes in my group. Now I have 3 kids with blonde hair and blue eyes .

[@debraallen63]

As a red head (ginger) with Blue eyes, I agree 😊

[@Benjamin1998]

literally worth fighting for

[@russpaxman3660]

I’m with you on that one. I am a heterosexual man, but one of the most striking of my workmates had faded red hair and piercingly bright blue eyes.

[@robm3357]

As a blue eyed person I prefer warm cloudy days over bright sunny days. I walk around squinting most days as it’s just to bright out. Snow covered ground on a bright day is painful.

[@user-qv2ur2bw3z]

Blue-eyed as well I must always wear sunglasses when I am out in the sun or I get wicked migraine headaches I can see great in the dark as well

[@brianishmael2290]

I definitely agree being blue eyed I like cloudy days also and snow is definitely not a friend of mine because it's instant headache for me

[@brandonlme4121]

Same except for the headaches. I live in Mississippi and its very sunny here fro march to October. I squint constantly. My eyes haved turned dark blue over time though.

[@MrTwinkieeater]

Red, pink, or rose colored glass helps with snow reflection.

[@wilsons2882]

yea most of us can testify that we have migraine. i had it worse a throbbin headache from migraine. never been better now

[@fia9845]

Swede here, take into account that in the nordic countries, especially the northern parts of Sweden, Norway & Finland, we only get a small amount of daylight OR if you go far up enough - none at all for months. As a hunter in those conditions, better eyesight in darkness seems great.

[@Hiddencomment007]

​@MorTobXD where do you think your food come from? Unless you're vegan... than I'm sorry. I was 2 yrs. And felt terrible. Super skinny, teeth rotting, stomach destroyed...

[@SalVitroNY]

@@Hiddencomment007even if they are vegan it’s a fail diet they need what vegetables & fruit can’t give them

[@fia9845]

Just to be clear; I was referring to hunters back when we were hunter-gatherers.

[@fia9845]

Also, the light conditions I mentioned in nordic countries are during the dark half of the year. At midsummer the sun never sets, so summers are a whole different thing.

[@memkiii]

@@MorTobXD Say that when you are stranded in a snowy wilderness with no supplies & no phone.

[@markbruce8389]

I have blue eyes and this actually confirms something I suspected for a while about having better eyesight in low light

[@lucfeir]

Bs bad interprétation !

[@user-jr3kb8qy8e]

Blue & green eyes are the most beautiful

[@danielaortiz8946]

How about grey eyes?

[@conlangknow8787]

Nah i think green eyes are better (i have green eyes)

[@angelotorto250]

Green can be so pretty

[@epicepicenter715]

Brown is disgusting

[@dylanholderman]

as someone blue-eyed and a welder i was shaking my head at the suggestion that blue eyes handle glare and increased light from snow better, its fairly common knowlege in the welding trade that blue-eyed welders generally need a darker shade welding lens then brown-eyed welders for the same settings and i personlly have trouble driving at night from all the glare from headlights and too bright street lights

[@FindTheTruthBeforeTheEnd]

I’m not a welder but I live in a snowy place and snow glare kills my blue eyes. I have to wear sunglasses. So I see what you’re saying and it makes sense. Also, I have trouble driving at night during traffic for the same reasons as you. All of the super bright modern headlights mess with my eyes.

[@patriciadunmore9767]

I never drive at night due to the glare of oncoming headlights which I find very distracting. Blue eyes here.

[@Verse-Drifter]

@@patriciadunmore9767 I too can not see to drive at night due to oncoming headlights , in fact in the rain it is down right dangerous .

[@Alakazzam09]

Those cheapy yellow tinted glasses that block blue light help me a lot.

[@Falkenroth1]

Blue eyed welder here also. Have to watch that flash burn on cloudy days.

[@rahjah6958]

As a very blue eyed person I can confirm glare seems to be more of an issue to me then other people

[@occamsshavecream4541]

Yep.

[@melaninfarmer]

Same here, I NEED polarized lenses.

[@johnjonjhonjonathanjohnson3559]

therefor its a disability

[@davey1602]

Yes, bright days leave me squinting. I hear blue eyes go blind more quickly too.

[@kevlally]

Same here

[@f.frederickskitty2910]

Blue eyed owner: bright light is so painful. I live in southern Arizona and I suffer greatly.

[@anthonydomanico8274]

It's far worse when there is snow, and to a lesser degree water, I assure you. The problem of light sensitivity became amplified to a very uncomfortable degree following a severe head injury.

[@epicepicenter715]

Return to our motherland

[@lucfeir]

Perfect !

[@christinabrock2893]

I have blue eyes, and when I'm doing lesson planning and such, alone in my classroom, I've always preferred to have the lights off and do my work by only the light from the windows, except on the very darkest days. I turn on the lights when my students come in for class, and I turn the lights off when the students leave. That system worked for me, with no trouble, for my first two years of teaching, but this year I've had frequent requests from the students to teach by window light alone, and not to turn the overhead lights on at all. They insist that they can see just fine and that it is more comfortable without the brighter light. I didn't understand why there was suddenly a consensus on the matter this year, when always before I have been alone in my preference for a dimmer room, but now that you mention it, I do believe that every student I have this year has blue eyes of one shade or another (we are a very small school), so maybe that explains it.

[@pcno2832]

That explains why I don't mind driving on dark roads but can't stand the glare from oncoming headlights.

[@tactfulrogue]

That shit is literally debilitating when I'm driving as I have gotten older. Living in Florida sometimes during mid day my eyes will water like crazy if I forget my sun glasses.

[@johnschofield3418]

Glad to know it's not just me that hates oncoming traffic at night Sure some people just drive around with the main beam on oblivious to other drivers

[@nebjaminsusej151]

This is me too lol

[@anno5936]

​@@johnschofield3418nope, you're not alone

[@michadybczak4862]

The same. It happens few times I forgot to turn on the lights and even didn't notice it...

[@crobbie86]

"I wish I had Brown eyes" said no blue-eyed person, ever.

[@artugert]

Except on sunny days. My blue eyes are so sensitive to light, it’s quite uncomfortable when it is very bright, while brown-eyed people don’t have this problem.

[@acadian71]

@@artugert Sunglasses. They have been around for centuries and evern the Inuit wear them.(their own version)

[@Acadian.FrenchFry]

​@@artugertI have hazel eyes with brown/green and I am very sensitive to light. My optometrist said something about my eyes being the same as someone with light colored eyes. I wish I had asked more questions about that. Both sides of my parents family's have blue eyes.

[@doelbaughman1924]

​@@artugertTRUTH!

[@deadsmoke198]

Be careful you could be canceled for saying that.

[@evelynbarton6349]

Speaking from a very blue eyed person, my Father & I were the only ones with deep blue eyes & we have a huge family, we were told we were Scottish.

[@CountessRatsazz]

Scots Irish here. Blonde hair and silver eyes but not typical of my family. Only 3 of us have these traits.

[@user-ml6ky7yk6y]

Both of my parents had brown eyes. I'm pretty sure it was the Scottish ancestry that gave me blue eyes and golden hair. I have fair skin that no longer sunburns.

[@susieare]

Is that Scottish ancestry really viking? Like the Kerr clan? My mother was a Kerr and I have her blue eyes! But not her blonde hair :)

[@DerrickSarazin-jr1wo]

I'm 36 % scottish according to ancestry dna I have blue eyes. I'm also 49 percent english and northwestern Europe, then swede germania Europe and Finnish

[@frankgulla8782]

I have to agree with the low light theory. I am a hunter and go into the woods in the dark, most nights I don't need a light, I navigate in the dark very well.This was my conclusion many years ago as to why some people have blue eyes as an adaptation.

[@JimmyLeeJr]

Makes you wonder what nocturnal creature your ancestors had to battle at night. Neanderthals.

[@ilfautdanser9121]

when i get up in the middle of the night, i don't turn on lights. i've been walking around in the dark for decades. i like my home with natural light as much as possible, even on cloudy days

[@DougOrr]

I can walk my whole house in darkness.😊

[@LetsTalkGoats]

Me too!

[@DrezdanyWildlife]

Same here!!

[@Gohka]

Same here, though I don't think it has much to do with my blue eyes, I can't say I can really see where I'm going I just have the layout of the house memorised lol.

[@chantallafrance297]

I seem to see better at night. Also all the little lights on everything are so annoying

[@BARBARYAN.]

I love the way my Native American tribe described the first time they saw the Spanish and Anglo Saxons. My tribe of the Rarámuri/Tarahumara said these warriors had “eyes of lightning and as striking as lightning” roughly translated into English. Y’all have beautiful eyes and hair colors. The most diverse humans in history all reside in Europe imo. Howdy from Texas 🤠

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

I met a native American whilst in Oklahoma and he had green eyes. Is that common?

[@antonyreyn]

Very interesting cheers from Sherwood forest England

[@BARBARYAN.]

@@noahtylerpritchett2682it is only possible with a parent who is of pure European heritage. I’m half Apache and half German and my hair is dirty blonde, thick, not much body hair or facial hair, green hazel eyes, and tanned skin when I’m in the sun a lot like the summer. But then I’ll get very white in the winter. So I’d say no it’s not common amongst anyone in the americas without having some European blood. But I’ve seen what you’re referring to. I think green and brown are more adaptable for us Natives as blue is very very rare with our people.

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

@@BARBARYAN. got it. OK. I was just curios. Thanks for answering

[@Sheenalove432hz]

Howdy

[@kyms9390]

As a person with blue grey eyes, I find I have great vision in dim ight that most people would struggle with, Im also fine with a sunlight, however I hate artificial glare from fluro lights or car headlights at night.

[@Robin7-26]

I come from a long line of blue-eyed people. Both my parents had blue eyes and my grandparents who came from Germany. My father’s side of the family were English. I have always been attracted to people with blue eyes.😊 Also, usually eye doctors will tell me to make sure to wear sunglasses because of my blue eyes especially because of how bright the sun is in Arizona.

[@jonathanfornwalt4919]

I have always been sensitive to light. My absolute favorite lighting conditions are night when it's snowing or just snowed, the moonlight reflecting off the snow makes it almost like daytime without hurting my eyes.

[@DeAnnaParisRN]

Me too. Ever since I was little I remember being sensitive to light.

[@hauntedbearchild]

I love that too! How strange, but you are correct. It's like daylight without the glare of the sun. I love winter night snow.

[@suewood8538]

So night hunting in a snow covered landscape would be possible with blue eyes. It would also make it easier to spot predators who hunt at night and that certainly would confer an advantage on blue eyed people.

[@loki76]

I know what you mean. A moonlight night and nice white snow on the ground and you can see everything. Even in a forest because the lights shines down and the snow acts like a reflector of the light. The ground is pretty visible. Also at home when I got to sleep and there was a lot of light at first it's pitch black because so much light was taken into the eyes. But after a few minutes and then open the eyes I can see everything. yes it is dark but I can see with no problem. And it can be a pitch black room. Maybe some tiny LED light from a clock in a corner or something.

[@justinsixx90]

Samesys with all these!

[@lonneansekishoku8288]

I guess it explains why I enjoy the night so much. Day time feels exhausting and, at times, the sun is blinding on a normal day. I feel more energetic at night. I tend to keep the lighting low at my place. I feel like I see better in the dark.

[@beverlybalius9303]

I am the same.

[@jojox5136]

Never put lights on if I get up during night can see perfectly well in the dark but have noticed that often people calling in the evening will say "by its dark in here"

[@wanderlustchicklmtlori]

Same

[@tetrasphere8165]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. I hate the constant questions of why I go for walks at night or when my job needs me to work mornings. "Aren't you afraid of animals at night? " no "how do you see?" How do you see during the day? I only like the day if I'm at the beach so I can chill my body and be like an crocodile and sit in the sun. Otherwise I'm a vampire I guess

[@echinorlax]

Same. I wonder now how much "lark vs owl" division correlates with eye color. It would make sense we feel more comfortable at night, so we tend to shift to avoid (sleep through) as much of the light of day as we can.

[@tlpricescope7772]

Blue eyed person here. I am a nocturnal vampire, who lives in a house with dim lighting. Bright lights on headlights, and bright sunlight force me to cower in pain. I enjoy the day most at dusk, and I see really well in the dark.

[@BrittneyDeShea420]

Same and I will get horrible ocular migraines from the bright sun. Yet, I don't see well in low light, even though I have to keep my home dim so I don't get headaches. I definitely cannot see in the dark.

[@BrittneyDeShea420]

Also, I'm more nocturnal as well. Lol

[@schoolingdiana9086]

I’m Native American, directly descended from 3 Native Nations, incl 2 tribal chiefs. My dad has blue eyes, as do 2 of my 3 siblings. All 7 of my children are blue eyed. 🤔

[@Survivethejive]

You must also have European ancestors too

[@zacsayer1818]

North West European ancestry.

[@user-bh2zc9wb2k]

Why mention the tribal chiefs bud? Sounds to me that you have a native American fetish or maybe just a white boy who is seeking some sort of validation or identity...you could always let the green berets know..maybe you won't have to do any physical tests etc if you say "Me grandpa him big chief..him scalp plenty enemy".Stay the whisky man...John Wayne (maybe big chief grandpa's best friend"???) He say whisky kill da Indian nation.

[@maizenn925]

@@Survivethejiveyeah pretty much all the natives in my area are mixed with Northern European.

[@tdallin1750]

many if not most natives are heavily mixed with european many being more european than native

[@Verse-Drifter]

As a blue-eyed person myself the comment section here is fascinating. I too prefer low-light conditions at home and work. Not a huge fan of summer and bright days either. Nighttime driving is a nightmare due to oncoming headlight glare, especially in the rain. I have always felt better adjusted the further north I go in the world and perhaps that is due to the lighting conditions?

[@doelbaughman1924]

My experience is almost exactly the same. I dislike the summer and the beach (and deserts). I also feel more adjusted in northern climes. But i don't have issues in the rain. Glare affects me from my astigmatism.

[@gage4375]

Me too,but I have brown eyes

[@nothingnobody6688]

I get that night driving glare gotta to keep my eyes focused on the line opposite the traffic. Now i can tell my partner why he didn't understand it. Glad it's not just me

[@adriana27100]

Same here! People make fun of me bc sometimes I wear sunglasses indoors bc of sensitivity

[@graylion72]

Ditto

[@davidrking1]

This caught my attention because I'm an eye doctor. It's generally accepted that the lightly pigmented retina (blonde fundus) is more bothered by bright light conditions because when light gets into the eye it bounces around more and doesn't have as much pigment to absorb the stray light. It makes sense that the flip side regarding dark adaptation could be true. The iris itself is just a membrane where the more pigment the browner. The fact that an eye itself is blue isn't what's important aside from generally indicating how much pigmentation someone has. Interesting topic.

[@kennethferland5579]

Ah thx for clarifying the mechanism, I'd been wondering how anything other then the pupil size was contributing to light control. From what your describing its the inner side of the Iris which is really what matters, not the outer side which other people see, so if the iris was dark on the inside it improve low light vision without being visible to others.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

The flipside is NOT true, because blue eyes don't admit more light in dark conditions, when the pupil is fully dilated. If you were really an eye doctor, you would understand that.

[@Indo_European_Nordic]

Interesting to hear the full effect of the iris, I only know of bits of information for the iris and retina and pupil from going to the eye doctor with my husband, he has blue eyes but also has to wear contacts due to the sunlight.. one thing I noticed though is as he has gotten older his eye color or being a bright blue went to kinda more of a grayish blue. Why is that? I'm just curious his prescription is the same as before so he didn't lose more eye sight.

[@system-error]

I wonder if they would find the same difference in pale brown vs dark brown eyes. I heard once from a sports trainer that most vitamin D is absorbed through the eyes, and it's been theorized that light skin/dark skin is from a tradeoff between UV protection (ie tanning) and vitamin D absorption (which is easier through pale skin). So combining that with the eye being a primary surface for absorbing vitamin D from sunlight, the blue eyes and pale skin of northern Eurasians would both be evolutionary adaptations to a lower light environment: in the north, where the sun is less strong, requiring less pigmentation defence, the adaptation pressure shifts to absorbing more vitamin D from the lower light environment, via depigmentation, and hence you get light skinned, blue eyed people in the northern parts. What about eskimoes, you ask, well that vitamin D theory I read proposed that the eskimo diet provided ample vitamin D for them, thus there was no selection pressure for them to depigment to get the vitamin D from the sun. It makes me wonder though, do eyes get a tan in the summer? And if not, why not.

[@Indo_European_Nordic]

@@system-error ok so let me get this right, they say people who come from much colder places can't get much of a tan and they have blue eyes..... We'll see the problem with that theory I see is this, you take and Italian who has blue eyes, have you seen one.. I have and yes while it's true that in winter in much colder areas one will lose a tan but the second that they get out In the sun during sumer they get darker then a person that lets say blonde hair blue eyes, see I personally think that blue eyes were yes if Scandinavian dna traits that actually belong to the indo European line , but the real defiant of an indo European trait is brown eyes and dark hair, now trace indo European back to where they came from.... They come from the Ukraine / Russian area... A pretty well known area for harsh winters... You tell me, I for one personally think that it's a trait that was sought for because of how rare it was considering it was only Scandinavian people who had that trait to start with.. idk I'm not eye scientist or eye surgeon or eye doc.. but I'm basing it only on what i know i can see and historic evidence.

[@hg2.]

Northern Europe gets long long long twilights and sometimes never gets dark at all ("midnight sun"). So, yes, "dim light seeing" is a highly plausible explanation for blue eyes.

[@Richard0292]

Your rigorousness come across in all of your videos. Thank you for producing these.

[@bjones7017]

Being 1/2 Southeast Asian, almost everyone I knew as a small child had dark brown eyes. Eventually we moved to the US and I met my father’s family. I’ll never forget the day I met my great grandmother. I must have been about 5. I remember looking up at this very old women who had to bend over to look at me. I remember her eyes shined with such love. Then I realized her eyes matched the sky behind her. I love blue eyes 😍

[@tinamincheski2195]

That's a lovely memory !

[@wcstrawberryfields8011]

Very Sweet

[@nikkireigns]

Beautiful memory! 😊

[@MrSprintcat]

Awesome

[@rola577]

So your father wasted his beautiful genetics by marrying your mother. R*ce mixing is ugly. (unfortunately, I don't have blue eyes either)

[@jorilea_jarrasept6583]

Myself and my four siblings are all blue eyed and eye exams have noted that all of us share an unusual familial trait. The opening to our optic nerve is much larger than what is considered normal. We are extremely sensitive to light and see much better in low light conditions. Our heritage is of Scottish descent.

[@AutitsicDysexlia]

*THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE* 🌩 🌩

[@paulmeredith4515]

Welshman whose family immigrated to US only 2 generations ago. Several of us such Grams and Gramps, their children and their children and al aunties and uncles, cousins-- all with blue eyes can see really well at night, love the snow and winters, hunt and have dimly lit homes.

[@amythompson7700]

My green eyed mother always wore dark eyeglasses. I barely ever saw her eye color. Quite green.

[@RollinsBrown]

Same!!

[@ShintogaDeathAngel]

Similar for me, except my eyes are green and I’m not always hugely sensitive to bright sunlight, sometimes the angle of the sun is a factor.

[@Dragon-Doxin]

I'm from Argentina. I have heritage from several places in Europe. My whole family has dark eyes and I have blue ones. I live in complete darkness and they are the opposite. Thanks for the video!

[@noahsullivan4772]

I want you to know that Blue eyes are especially rare in Greece and their ancient gods are sometimes depicted as having them specifically because it was such a rare trait (along with blond hair). The only source I could find said 8% of Greeks have blue eyes. I am compelled to correct you as I am enthralled with everything Greek from ancient to Christian times, and it is well known they have a particular phenotype of curly/wavy brown hair matching a particular medium brown eye hue. Love the video, thanks brother

[@thatsrealroughbud...2394]

After being in the army, it became clear that light eyed people’s night/dawn/dusk vision is on another level. They could see everything on night patrols where as those of us with dark eyes fell over EVERYTHING. We were basically blind compared to them. One dude was Asian and had to be literally tied to a string to some light eyed dude because he couldn’t see 3 ft in front of his face. Opposite was true during bright days, they all needed sunglasses and were apparently in physical pain in bright light. They also couldn’t see as far without sunglasses in bright light without squinting.

[@Matias-dr3ys]

Im finnish. When i was in military most of us agreed that at small distances it was almost easier to see without NVG sometimes.

[@jamesmason8436]

I made the same observation decades ago, only it was in a beer garden where I was squinting in the midday sun while all the brown eyed people on my table (everyone but me) seemed fine with it. Lead to a discussion and we concluded it was my pale blue eyes that was causing it. Seemed a logical deduction. Sunglasses are mandatory for me on sunny days - even in the winter.

[@nativetexanful]

@@jamesmason8436I know what you mean. Having blue eyes is just bad luck. I sure wish I had brown eyes. Brown-eyed people are the lucky ones.

[@jamesmason8436]

@@nativetexanful can't say it's particularly restrictive, provided I wear my sunglasses.

[@twillison8824]

I regularly walk through the woods to my hunting spot during the pre-dawn darkness with 0 lighting. Never put any thought into why I can see, but my night vision is very good.

[@joelbeauregard6552]

I have blue eyes and I can say at 43 years old I have always felt more comfortable seeing in low light environments. For me there are less glares and less eye strain. I honestly thought the glare and strain was probably from dry eye. I never thought it might be the color of my eyes. Thanks for the informative video

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

It's due to the color of your eye, but your eye has no advantage in low light, because dark eyes pupil dilates in low light to admit the same amount of light as in a blue-eyed person. It only causes problems in bright light, that's all.

[@bobSeigar]

​@@annaclarafenyo8185 Source?

[@empirion502]

Always heard you're more susceptible to cataracts with lighter color retinas. I try to keep polarized shades handy all the time, especially in winter.

[@basedunicorn896]

My daughters mother is Mexican and brown eyed for sure. My daughter is blue eyes. She was born with pitch black hair,it is now naturally blonder than mine,for now I imagine, she even has my" beauty mark" freckle same spot on our face...just thought I'd share a rare treasure. ❤

[@rongeorge574]

75% of Americans born in the 1800's had blue eyes

[@conniemoney4459]

My dad had very electric blue eyes, 20/15 vision and he could see in the dark. When he was in the army he was quite useful in the dark.

[@user-ii4zf5iq3t]

That's what my vision was. I miss that. My Dad went in at 80 to renew his driver's license and the clerk said "you forgot to put glasses down". he said "I don't use glasses". She looked puzzled and said "oh you wear contacts." He said "No!"

[@MamaMOB]

I have blue eyes and such shit vision I can't see more than a foot in front of my face. I don't think it was the blue eyes that helped him it was the 20/15 vision.

[@user-ux2vk3lq5p]

​@MamaMOB if you are not a premature baby, then you can usually fix your eye vision naturally. On a 4x4 piece of paper, put a dot in the center. Hold it approximately 18 inches from your face. Look past the card, but focus on the dot with your peripheral vision. Now move the paper in a square pattern, to start. Your eyes will burn after 5 minutes. Congratulations you are strengthening your eye muscles. Try it. I'm not selling anything. I was told I had 50/20 vision when I was 10 years old and needed glasses, I found this hack from an old book in the library. When I went back to the eye Dr to get my glasses 4 months later, I had and have eagle vision, 20/15. Every 5 years or so I have to readjust my vision back to eagle. Glasses allow your muscles to weaken. Like when someone has a lazy eye, they put a patch on the good one to excercise the muscles in the bad eye.

[@khiem1939]

Though I have worn glasses since a child, I have always been corrected to 20/15 since 20/20 gives me "problems". Now at 84 years old, and recently having cataract surgery, I have not been able to be corrected to 20/15, but 20/25 and I "seem" to feel that I don't see well now!

[@thothheartmaat2833]

i think this also happens you look out at far distances outside. most people are indoors a lot and dont look out miles away.. and if you think about eagle eyes theyre looking for mice a mile down.. @@user-ux2vk3lq5p

[@yearginclarke]

38 years on this earth as a blue eye person, and I had absolutely no idea eye color had anything to do with quality of vision depending on conditions. Good video!

[@jenerin905]

Blue eyes have a few advantages I have found over the years. Seeing better in low light is one, but my eye doctor told me that blue eyes are known for better visual acuity. We can see subtle movements and color differences easier than other eye colors, and blue eyes tend to get less instances of cataracts.

[@tetrasphere8165]

Doesn't make sense I'm the only one in my family that doesn't need glasses

[@truedepth3]

You didn't realize you could see better at night? and light that is too bright is annoying, unless you wear sunglasses.

[@yearginclarke]

@@truedepth3 Didn't know I could see better at night? I've never had another pair of eyes to compare to.

[@Jack_Zass]

My Father would always say “with those blue eyes, you’re no son of mine “!

[@danielfuchs2498]

It also makes sense considering that those with light eyes are more likely to be photophobic than those with dark ones, they are more sensitive and bothered by bright and harsh lighting.

[@elibennett6168]

I have a hard time sleeping since even small amounts of light become bright to me even with my eyes closed. I find myself covering clocks, plugs with lights, and towels to block under the door light.

[@adriana27100]

Same here! I’m so sensitive

[@health_Natural2]

Same here

[@jossbsure]

I thought it was a matter of my eyelids being thinner than most people...

[@kjova251]

Me too!

[@kimsands9280]

Same!!

[@csipawpaw7921]

I have blue/gray eyes. When I became a patrolman in the 1970s I was encouraged to buy a strong flashlight for night patrol. So I did. But, after a month or so, I realized I had stopped carrying it. I was searching alleys and chasing perpetrators at night without a big light. If or when I needed a light, I could see fine with a small pocket light. New supervisors would occasionally reprimand me for not carrying a stronger light. But a sergeant, that knew me. would come to my defense explaining I could see better in the dark, without a light, than other men with flashlights. In fact, I found flashlights to be detrimental. By illuminating one area, the areas not illuminated appear darker and make it harder to see movement or someone hiding. I also quickly realized that I needed darker sunglasses during a sunny day and people often ask why I was wearing sunglasses on cloudy days.

[@Mercurio-Morat-Goes-Bughunting]

Brown-eyes, here. Same issue. Don't need or won't the flashlight for night-time light conditions - especially in town. I used to walk 1-5 km cross country every other night, when my fieldwork was in the desert. It was more dim then dark for me. Sometimes the shadows on the ground would be impenetrable - particularly on a moonless night but the rest of the time, just dimmer. Back then I had no difficulty reading an 8 point font under moonlight. Around town, though, the light pollution is so high it's never dark.

[@Moraenil]

Same thing with headlights. With how bright they've gotten over the years with the leds, I can hardly see to drive at night because those things blind me so horribly, especially when out of the city and in the mountain passes where it's not lit at all other than headlights. In those areas, I'd rather drive without lights at all and see better than with them on. But that oncoming traffic....I've taken to having to wear my sunglasses at night to help me deal with the headlights (only helps a little bit, not enough). I can still see fine in the dark even with my sunglasses on. Cloudy days are an absolute must for sunglasses because of the glare caused by the clouds.

[@Mercurio-Morat-Goes-Bughunting]

@@Moraenil A trick I learned with headlightes is to avert my eyes and attenuate. The glare is still horrible, but when I'm focused on other things (like what those headlights are illuminating) I find it makes a big difference.

[@Moraenil]

@@Mercurio-Morat-Goes-Bughunting You've never driven on unlit, curvy, mountain passes have you? One minute you're driving along, 45mph, using all your range of vision keeping a watch out for deer, bear, mountain lion and other critters. The next second, you're blinded by lights from the opposite direction and can't see a blasted thing except the spots in your eyes. There's no getting used to that, or having time to try to adjust from almost no light (my headlights are very dim which is how I like it so I can see off the side of road and it isn't just black outside the headlight range) to being blinded. Hell, couple years ago I was suddenly blinded by flood lights that should not have come on from a backyard on the other side of the road, triggered by me walking, and I fell over the speed bump in the road (no sidewalks and I was at the side across the street), and broke my shoulder. Sudden bright led lights are blinding and there's no getting used to it when it's dark until they suddenly shine directly in your eyes.

[@dehydratedwater9806]

​@@Moraenilthat's why I always close one eye during approaching oncoming headlights then afterwards swap which one's closed until my pupil dilates again.

[@flamechick6]

I don't have blue eyes, but I must be a genetic carrier, I have green eyes, but my husband and our 6 kids have blue eyes 💙 💚

[@kennethwebb3845]

I can confirm that I see significantly better at night (no artificial light sources) than friends with dark eyes. Walking along a road on a dark night and being able to discern the edge, or picking out a light while sailing at night has proved it.

[@utinam4041]

In the 1970s BBC TV ran a science competition for schools. I remember a brilliant entry from a girls' grammar school (Salisbury?) which investigated the ability of brown and blue-eyed students to see in misty conditions, This was done by peering into a large smoke or aerosol box and trying to to make out details on a picture. I think the girls concluded that blue-eyed people has a slight advantage. Strange that no university or research group followed this up at the time.

[@gilgameschvonuruk4982]

The Baltic has a lot of Swamps

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

Ah, back when the BBC had a point!

[@madMARTYNmarsh1981]

Britain getting rid of most of our grammar schools was a huge mistake. I'm lucky enough to live in a county that still has them (Kent) and three of my four kids either went to them or are currently attending (the 4th is only 8, but she will probably go to grammar as she is the brightest of the four... they get it from their mum), and we constantly see how much better the education is at grammar schools versus the regular secondary schools friends' kids go to. Plus, our town is being overwhelmed by people moving here so their kids can attend grammar schools. The biggest issue I hear about is bright kids being held back by their less willing class mates. Every kid at a grammar school chooses to go there, which I think makes them more committed to their education. If we went back to having grammar schools across the country, as well as technical colleges to teach plumbing and other practical well paid jobs, the country wouldn't feel likes it is falling apart everywhere I go.

[@zephyrna6249]

Likely because saying blue eyed people are born with certain innate advantages was considered taboo at the time and still is.

[@martinjackman2943]

"The Great Egg Race " hosted by Professor Heinz Wolff? "An elegant solution " (in German accent) was his oft used conclusuon

[@johno1544]

People always underestimate sexual selection. Male peacocks tail is actually a hindrance from a survival of the fittest standpoint. But female peacocks preferred bigger tails and that overrides everything else.

[@larion2336]

This is why humans are going to wind up all 8 feet tall with chronic back problems.

[@scythianking7315]

Irrelevant, Humans aren’t Peacocks. Men have been the sexual selectors for 99% of Human History. It’s only in the past century that things changed and Women became the sexual selectors

[@Survivethejive]

Why do humans males have facial hair and larger penises than other apes?

[@johno1544]

@@Survivethejive it's kind of crazy human males are better endowed than Gorillas down there. Clear what human females preferred 😅

[@anglo2184]

​@Survivethejive I actually watched a documentary on this, chimps had larger penises than humans and gorrias had smaller, it was theorised that penis size relates to the fidelity of the females. The more loyal the females the smaller the penises, the less loyal the larger the penises so that ejaculation occurred deeper increasing the likelihood of fertilising the female.

[@emoxvx]

I feel confident about the theory that it was an adaptation to less light. I have green/blue eyes, and I tell you, sometimes I can't see shit without sunglasses or something protecting me from the sun light.

[@mrjdgibbs]

There's absolutely no way that any tiny advantage blue eyes could have in the dark would apply enough selective pressure to account for the prevalence of blue eyes specifically and exclusively in the European north to the exclusion of other places. I strongly suspect that it has something to do with vitamin D3 production.

[@piercebrosnan9528]

"No one knows what it's like to be the based man... behind blue eyes."

[@stevencarter385]

"No one bites back as hard... on their anger" either.

[@nayrtnartsipacify]

noone knows what is like to be a dust bin... in shaftsbreed...with hooligans...

[@sticksnstonespatriot1728]

Nice! Great comment,sir.

[@sel1736]

​@@stevencarter385none of my pain an woe will show through ..

[@choppergirl]

No one knows what it's like To be the bad man, to be the sad man Behind blue eyes

[@DetectiveMelon]

Can confirm as a blue eyed person, light can be painful. At night, I can generally see better than my friends. But during the day, if the sun is out I need sunglasses just to be able to see. I much prefer overcast low light days than bright sunny days. My heritage is primarily German and Scotch-Irish.

[@TheLordOfNothing]

I love the sun and still have blue eyes...but they aren't bright blue, they're extremely dark blue. Only extremely bright light will hurt, which is why I like trees in my yard.

[@DetectiveMelon]

@@TheLordOfNothing I love the feeling of the sun, not so much the light. My eyes tend to shift in shade between light and dark. not really sure how that works but I'm assuming there are various factors involved, but the light sensitivity stays the same.

[@scrambler350]

Same lineage and same experience. Dawn and Dusk are the most pleasant times to be outdoors.

[@JB-mz3eo]

I've felt light as painful like that. Once I was sat in a conservatory having lunch with freinds on a sunny day and the light was so blinding I had to put my shades on. I could barely keep my eyes open. I also cannot peel onions, it's agonizing. I have to peel them in water or leave the room if someone else is peeling them. Luckily I can't eat them as i'm sulphur intolerant.

[@VMM34]

I have light blue eyes, live in England, and can't go outside on sunny days, it's unbearable for me. I'm an indoors person in summer, and I also truly despise the winter sun, especially low on the horizon that everyone else raves about. It's intolerable and painful

[@Jeffrey-ed8sz]

Blue eye owner, genetically Irish/Saxon. Retired Ship Captain.Bright sun required good sunglasses. Low light vision has always been great. Supposedly got me eye color from maternal Grandfather.

[@mexicanmapper5064]

As a person with brown eyes, I do not have any problems with light and enjoy my days casually :D

[@dogblack64]

As the owner of a pair of blue/grey eyes, I find bright light hard to deal with. But in the dark, I can see better than anyone else I know, even other blue eyed people. Even now, when I'm nearly 60. My partner has dark brown eyes and she often comments on my icy stare, although she likes it.

[@nicoruppert4207]

Yep, the grey really sets you apart much further. I often feel regular pain just looking at objects exposed to bright light. But I'm also incredibly comfortable in dim light conditions.

[@jordanjay1479]

Same here my man. I have eyes that are never a set color. They change colors from grey to blue to green. I deal with the same issues with bright light and I tend to see decent in darkness

[@mikereid1195]

Samesies, color varies by mood, garments, time of day, and yes, I've always seen better in the dark than anyone I knew

[@Pork98]

@@nicoruppert4207 Same. Except I can't see very well in the dark. So I'm pretty much screwed either way 😂

[@nicoruppert4207]

@@Pork98 I mean, nobody sees well in the dark, some just do better.

[@russellcharles3269]

I have blue eyes and if it's too sunny out they weep, like uncontrollably. They stop as soon as I put sun glasses on. So I feel like what is said here is spot on.

[@eveoakley6270]

Same. I go nowhere without my blu blocker sun glasses 👍🏼

[@adriana27100]

I had this happen a few times before, especially one day was so bad when with a hat and sunglasses. My eyes were killing all day and crying

[@wayawolf1967]

Blue eyes will be the first to sneeze when stepping out into the direct sunlight.

[@glittermama]

You may want to try using drops for dry eyes before you go out.

[@Nightskyvibes1]

Same

[@AskTorin]

STJ is not the archaeological scientist we deserve - he's the archaeological scientist we need. Large thanks for keeping honest science and history your number 1 priority. Been a watcher for many a year and I am always pleased to see that you are still just as curious, open and honest as ever ❤️

[@alexc6324]

my wife (brown eyes) always laughs at me for entering a room and not turning on the light. But for me (blue eyes) it really isnt necessary and often too light. Also my wife has no problem sleeping in a well light or half light place but for me it has to be very low light or none at all otherwise i cannot rest and often get headaches.

[@jonnya6107]

I have blue eyes and have always struggled with brighter, more intense light, especially if it is intensly white or of a bright blue hue. I also see better than most of my friends in darker situations.

[@msjazzmeblues]

I agree. Both my parents had blue eyes as well. I find navigating in low light is much easier for me than for some people. I often go into moderatately low-lighted rooms to find or do something quickly, and others ask me why in the world I'm wandering around in the dark when I could turn on the lights. I usually answer that I didn't think it was necessary, and I could see well enough to do what I planned to do. I do think the theory of the low light of dense forests and shorter daylight hours was an important element of natural selection for light-colored eyes in that period!

[@mznxbcv12345]

Cats in northern regions have blue eyes, white fur. The phenotype maps the same for humans as it does the wildlifeas it does the terrain topography. Compare a snow leopard to one in the Savannah, A Lynx to a Desert Cat, , etc etc.

[@Nate-bn5kk]

It also seems like we can see things at a distance better than our brown eye counter parts. I often get the question when spotting things at a distance: "you can see that?!"

[@MiguelDebruyne]

I have green eyes and harsh sunlight just absolutely kills me. I need sunglasses faster than most people. No idea if there is a connection or it's because I was to curious as a kid to look at the solar eclipse without special glasses.

[@gracefullstitcher4707]

Same. I wear sunglasses to drive even when cloudy. Very sensitive to bright light.

[@krickenthekraken8844]

As a blue-eyed person, I’ve never thought about this before in my life, but I definitely prefer dim lighting! No doubt!

[@honeyholly001]

I wear sunglasses in some stores because I can barely see in brightly lit areas

[@MadonnaGrogan]

Same

[@NostalgicSweetPeaGirl24]

Hello Survive the Jive ! I love your channel ! I personally find blue eyes attractive but I love brown eyes too . I would love for you to do the origins of ginger hair I think that would make a very interesting topic , being Scottish my cousin came out looking like a Sainsbury’s bag .

[@jessiehubick961]

So interesting you mention about how the snow makes it seem brighter... I'm in Canada, and all the snow had melted, but then last week we got a freak snow storm so now there's snow everywhere again (lol) but when the sun is out, I swear the world almost sparkles and glows. Even at night, if the moon is out, it can be hard to sleep from the moonlight reflecting off the snow.

[@carmaela2689]

I have a friend with very dark brown eyes. We were hiking and took linger to get back to the trailhead than expected. It got dark. She freaked out and revealed that she can't see in the dark. She doesn't need glasses and has perfect vision, but cannot see in the dark. I have blue eyes. Despite being in the thick woods, I left us out no problem. I even thought it wasn't all that dark. She was basically blind. That was the first time I learned that maybe having dark eyes is great in a bright place like a desert but blue ryes are better in dark spaces.

[@tauempire1793]

Maybe its better on an individual sense? Less so you just having blue and them having brown.

[@stsk1061]

I have the exact opposite experience. I have dark brown eyes and I often go jogging during the night in the forest without a headlight.

[@Tubavision05]

I have dark brown eyes, and i see very well in the dark.

[@iLitAfuseiCantStop]

After reading your comment it reminded me of a time the exact same thing happened to me. My sister in law & I had been at her parents, to get back home we could have walked the road (probably a 35min walk) or taken the trail that comes out by our homes cutting that time in half. I told her it was getting dark so the trail might not be a good idea, she thought we’d have time to make it. We didn’t. It got dark when we were probably 7-8mins from home & she started freaking out because she couldn’t see a thing. I told her to stop freaking out because I could see, but also being raised on the trails, knew I wouldn’t have any problem navigating back. I had to take her arm & lead her the whole way home 😂& she has brown eyes, I have blue eyes

[@sintay8002]

Yeah, then there’s also snow blindness. I think it’s temporary but interesting.

[@PurpleLightsaberAlex]

Blue eyed guy here. I remember as a little kid having very little trouble navigating my room in the dark especially with the curtains open at night. There's a special coziness to a room with its curtains closed during the day. It might have also made me more on the lookout for monsters at night. Never understood why mom and other relatives "complained" that I didn't turn on the lights when playing in low lighting. Also never really owned a night lamp or emergency flashlights but my mother and a friend have dark brown eyes and really appreciate night lamps.

[@Megatron4Life23]

Me too!!!

[@MamaMOB]

When I was little I was absolutely terrified of the dark. I now think it's because I could see shadows that other people just couldn't.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

people always ask me why im sitting in the dark. if im supposed to go to a room i either dont turn the lights on or try to only turn on a fe but not all of the lights. people always turn on all the lights like it has to be a bright as possible. the library by my house used to be pretty dim then they made a new library that was super bright and i dont like it. i miss the old library. i prefer accent lighting rather than big bright lights. that being said im a photographer and cameras prefer super bright lights..

[@SaintSaint]

I dig it. I like night hikes in the woods for that reason. Everything is so still, yet the earth and trees and mountains feel so comforting.

[@silky2204]

O.K. Reading in the dark.

[@HardcoreHokage-cw4uq]

Here in Lancashire it never gets properly dark. It only gets to twilight conduction due to our latitude. In Scotland it gets even less dark.

[@russellcampbell9641]

Spot on in stating blue eyes were and adaptation to the dark foggy forests of Europe post glacial maximum. It probably took only a thousand years for this trait to come to the fore.

[@Paolur]

Being from western Norway I can imagine having better low light vision will have been crucial not only for hunting but just for moving around in this difficult terrain. In my town pretty much everyone has blue eyes and when walking in the woods good vision can be the difference between going home and going to the hospital with a broken ankle. My girlfriend has brown eyes and her night vision is terrible though she grew up in the city where there's always light

[@prophecyrat2965]

My noght vision is pretty good and I habe brown eyes, but I iminge itbwouod be better with blue eyes. I like looking at the sun somtimes tho 😎😂

[@DawaLhamo]

Between mountains, bogs, and much longer nights in the North, blue eye selection in the Nordic region makes sense.

[@Paolur]

@@DawaLhamo Google image search the word "steinur" and then imagine navigating that by moonlight. If you can't do that you wouldn't survive in Norway before electric lighting

[@illuminum87]

You have just confirmed what I have believed for years!... I have always been able to see a great detail in the dark, even being able to distinguish some colours. I've often had non blue eyed friends say they can't even see and ask how on earth I could. And when I've been on holidays to sunny countries with whiter paths than our grey UK paths, I have often struggled with sensitivity from the glare.

[@BillGreenAZ]

I used to drive at night and forget to turn on my headlights because I could see well in the dark. I later found that my uncle was also this way.

[@xxHANNONxx]

The same with me. I could always out see everyone else with brown eyes in the dark, I forget to turn lights on, and I bring sunglasses with me everywhere I go. Bright sunny areas glare me blind, especially in the snow.

[@steved1880]

I’m the same way. My wife has brown eyes and has difficulty seeing at night. I have blue/green eyes. I walk around the house at night without turning on the lights so I don’t wake her up. I see just fine…

[@thomaswilliams1525]

I have blue eyes, and i see fine on bright sunny days, i also see fine with low light. On a snow day when the sun is out it is a bit blinding but my eyes adjust quickly.

[@freestylebagua]

The 'blue eyes' piercing look has more to do with brown eyes' darkness making the pupils' look larger than they are, whereas the blue eyes you can clearly see the pupil size. Pupil reaction is one of the signs of arousal and interest, a small pupil is instinctively viewed as cold and distant, while large ones as intimate and warm. Sexual selection is sufficient criteria for blue eyes to exist as a regular trait, you don't need another reason but its interesting that there might be.

[@michaellooney7330]

In the early 2000s my optometrist explained to me that one reason for my continuous migraines was that people with blue eyes have a higher sensitivity to light. She suggested i use tinted glasses (when doctors were just giving me random medications), which helped immediately. This really just agrees with what she already knew. I also live with brown-eyed parents who don't understand why I don't use bright lights, or do things in dim-light conditions, or complain about how bright lights are.

[@ffwast]

"Oh it's dark in this room you're perfectly comfortable doing something in! Don't you want this eye scorching floodlight pointed directly at your face?!" *instantly blinds you*

[@Yosetime]

Totally agree. My specialist eye doctor told me he can't even exam my eyes properly because they are so sensitive to his little probing light. I have to wear sunglasses or tinted prescriptions year round. Especially in winter. The snow glare is painful.

[@Alex-fc8xn]

Mine put tint requirement on my prescription as well, and said I needed to get anti-glare coating as well. In my bedroom my bedside lamp has an orange bulb that's less hard on my eyes and my phones always have several blue light filters running to reduce brightness and blue tones

[@dhollongstreet4725]

I think your parents do not have brown eyes, but hazel. In the area I live in Wisconsin often a hazel eyed person is called brown eyed simply because there are so many with bright blue eyes and in direct comparison look brown next to the bright blue. Next to someone from say Central America with real brown eyes it is clear the eyes are not brown but hazel. On top of you will never get blue eyes out of two that have brown eyes.

[@SometimesMyself]

Migraineur, here. My family has become accustomed to seeing my arm reach around a corner, into a room, to turn off or dim the lights before walking in. 😂

[@Cam-pg4wl]

In an Ophthalmology setting, dark eyes are very resistant to dilating drops (Mydriatics, Cycloplrgics), often requiring further applications to achieve the desired effect for retinal examination.Lighter coloured eyes are very easy to dilate with the same drops.Not sure where this fits in, but it's interesting.

[@kaydi123]

That also makes sense yet as a blue eyed one, not for me, as needed a 2nd round of drops n wondered why we are waiting in a room w bright led lights? I went outside after the 2 reasons, to take one med mostly may help speed up the effect. Either way, blue eyes will always be more constricted (not good when cops looking) lol yet always had my dad laugh an say as others why not turn a light on, im like... never thought too as I can see. Or daamn please turn some lights off. To much.!! Yet night driving neber bothered me as avg non blue eyes. I think more plays into it, yet interesting as yes many ancestors are from european amd surrounding areas as aka pure Mut!!!!! Lol

[@helenhighwater5313]

My green/blue eyes are an exception here. It takes 2-3 instillations of drops to achieve dilation adequate for exam.

[@UhtredOfBamburgh]

Probably same reason. Dilation is for seeing in darker conditions. If you live in Canada, UK or Scandinavia there are months in a row you have to endure the sun setting at 4pm or earlier and its still so early in the day you havent even gone home from work yet. We do way more stuff in the dark. Its not surprising these people's eyes have stronger dilation ability

[@1stRiggerChick]

I've often been asked on Sunny days if I'm ok, apparently my pupil goes to the size of a pin head. Which, I guess, would look pretty freaky! Too bright and I want to hide, because it hurts my eyes. I had 20/20 vision for most of my life. Until age 43. Now, I miss 20/20 very much!

[@UhtredOfBamburgh]

@@1stRiggerChick In the summer I have a lot of pain in my eyes on a bright sunny day around noon and sometimes i cant keep them open even though Im in public and need to see lol

[@56nickrich]

I've got grey-green eyes today but was born with blazing blue eyes 68 years ago. My parents and siblings were all brown eyed. I wonder if longevity has ever been studied regarding eye color? Just a thought.

[@rola577]

Almost everyone in the world has brown/black eyes. Blue eyes are rare as diamonds. I'm so jealous of those with blue eyes, they're so beautiful

[@bastian9693]

I always found brown eyes or darker eyes on men and blue or lighter eyes on women to be more attractive

[@user-jt3zv2jc7u]

This was interesting to me as it confirms my own idea that blue-eyed people prefer lower light conditions. I used to work in an office in South Korea, where all of my colleagues were brown-eyed Koreans. They all insisted on having all 6 fluorescent lights on 24/7, even in the middle of the day during summer. I would constantly turn them off as, to me, it was unnecessarily bright and a waste of energy, but each time I turned them off they would all complain and asked why I had turned the lights off, so I stopped. I even began to contemplate wearing sunglasses in the office. One day, one of my colleagues wanted to use my computer but started complaining that she couldn't see the screen. I had turned down the brightness to the lowest level but I could still see what was on it clear as day. 🤷

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

I have dark brown eyes and I’m one of the most photosensitive people that I know. I especially can’t stand artificial bright light. I use all soft bulbs in lights in my home and have frosted and tinted more things than I can remember to soften my lighting environment. …I’m wearing yellow tinted lenses right now while looking at my phone screen, which is set to dim lol.

[@scallopohare9431]

Try amber glasses.

[@theharshtruthoutthere]

@@scallopohare9431 lets analyse the lies which are world wide believed: lie: schools are of use (fact. schools keep slavery alive and stands for dumbing down the population of mankind) lie: moon and mars landings, (fact: even masons know they cannot leave - earth is closed system, unless you want to drown, there is no other place created for us to live in.) lie: news channels share truth (fact: these are for politic propaganda) lie: voting matters (fact: politic propaganda) lie: money has a value of its own (fact: it is just a tool of this world, which value has been agreed upon world wide) lie: NASA lies (globe and all....) (fact: NASA stands for TO DECEIVE and 2 members expose their own lies, one is still alive, the other (Wernher Von Braun) place a clear clue on his own gravestone) - you havn´t searched - have you? lie: the lgbtq++++ propaganda (fact: it is a part of masonry depopulation agenda, 500 000 000 souls, thats their goal.) lie: Evolution and the dinosaurs. (fact: mankind is not hybrid kind) to keep stating that there was an evolution, then we ain´t humans, we aint then mankind, we are then hybrids. Are you a hybrid? Lie: holidays (xmas, Halloween, new year eve and so on) (fact: PAGAN HOLIDAYS, to praise BAAL, the god of this world) lie: U.F.Os (fact: they are demons/evil spirits in high places, against whom we fight daily = spiritual warfare) lie: rules and laws rule the world (fact: signs and symbols of masonry do) lie: believe in being educated (fact: found daily living with the lack of knowledge) lie: religions are ways to heaven (fact: JESUS CHRIST is only way to heaven. Religions, no matter its name = masonic garbage) lie: our dead loved ones stay around to “ghost” (fact: hunting and ghosting is job of demons, not of humans. We, humans, come from GOD and return back to HIM and all the stories of having been seen a ghost - terrifying, scary, dark, cold - again no job of analysing been done here by you- right?) Lie: Humans have no immune system and we need vaccines as these save lives (fact: humans HAVE IMMUNE SYSTEM and vaccines are created for one or two purpose: to kill or to cripple) lie: there is no GOD (fact: There is GOD, who redeems sinners and created us directly from the dust of the earth: Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.) to keep claiming that there is no GOD and we aint created directly from the dust of the earth, we soon run out logic, regardless to we place “evolution” in our claims or not.) lie: 911 was terror attack (fact: 911 was an inside job, meaning the work of your loved government) lie: Tv watching is of use (fact: television (TV) = tell a lie vision, a weapon for our minds, keeping it under MK ULTRA) half lie/half truth: earth is a stage where everyone plays rolls (fact: earth is stage, freemasonry checkerboard, where both side, black and white are masons and humans both in politics and regular souls = the naive public gets daily played) 18,5 lies, should i go on? This world ain´t deceived, out there to deceive?

[@bustavonnutz]

This is why Koreans all need glasses

[@madlynx1818]

So funny, me too. I constantly fight with my wife who’s South American about the house lighting situation. I’m always turning them down and she’s always turning them up GO TEAM NEANDERTHAL

[@apelsinuke]

coming from family with blue eyes and predominantly light-eyed country, i never understood what's up with the blue eyes "staring directly into your soul". until i lived in Japan, where i couldn't tell where exactly people were looking at because i couldn't see their pupils which were in most cases very similar in colour to their irises, at least in the shade. then it hit me like a ton of bricks that "piercing" was referring to people being able to tell where i am actually looking at. i don't feel uncomfortable being looked at by a person with light eyes. i don't feel "pierced". on the contrary, i feel slightly uncomfortable being unable to tell where a person with dark eyes is looking at - me or behind me? into my eyes or is something stuck in my teeth? tho in general it doesn't bother me that much. actually like brown/deep/dark eyes, but my favourite eye colour is green.

[@Debbie-henri]

My husband has pretty 'doe' brown eyes, but I still feel like they are a bit of a wall between us. I feel much more comfortable talking with fellow blue eyed people as I feel I can read them better. (My husband is chatty and quite philosophical, and as I mainly lip-read anyway I don't need to look at his eyes very much). On the down side, because I absolutely do need to resort to lipreading when meeting someone new or don't converse with much, someone with an accent, or is talking on a subject I know little about, people tend not to like me too much because I don't meet their gaze.

[@kittycat8222]

Great explanation.

[@culturecoroner]

Well that’s interesting.

[@VeritasEtAequitas]

It's something that works in a high-trust, high functioning society. It's disruptive to lower tribal societies where deception is just normal, and they often don't even have words in their languages for trust, truth vs lies, or even the future.

[@RMBlake007]

@@VeritasEtAequitas What is a 'lower tribal society'?

[@johnbrzenksforearm8295]

This makes a lot of sense as even today Europe is known for short Summers and long falls and winters.

[@Joker-no1uh]

I have noticed that people with blue eyes, myself included, when driving at night, bright headlights give a huge glare and hurt my eyes. It's almost impossible to go without sunglasses on sunny days as well.

[@seanstratton3231]

As a blue-eyed, pasty pale ginger that is very sensitive to light and glare, I find this topic pretty relatable. My wife and children also have blue eyes, and we all tend to sit in the dark (with the light on in an adjacent room) when home.

[@vidard9863]

Yeah, that's what he missed. In a world without electricity, but too cold for great big windows, the fact that you and your family can do more in a dimly lit home is an absolute game changer.

[@SocietySkin]

Thats funny because I have darker eyes while household is blue eyed, & I thought it was just me getting old but they barely use any lights in the house with no problem whatsoever!!

[@vidard9863]

@@SocietySkin age definitely plays a role, when I was younger I only had prescription sunglasses, so I would wear them at night and still see better than most in the dark. I could read books by the moonlight with sunglasses on, I can't do that anymore but I still see better than most, if not all of my dark eyed younger coworkers in the dark.

[@AK-sm3kp]

HAVE MORE CHILDREN!!!!

[@Davideo50]

Dude, I think I just put it together. Not only can you see in the dark, you can be seen in the dark. LOL

[@matthewfinger2381]

This finally explains why driving at night is so annoying for me. I thought everybody was being a-holes driving with their high beams on.

[@carolreeves7922]

😂me too

[@12pentaborane]

Multiple things are true at the same time. That in combination with widespread adoption of blue LEDs for headlights is dangerous.

[@waynegoldpig2220]

Pale grey-blue eyes here. Yellow-lens night driving glasses are a must for me.

[@YujiUedaFan]

The worst part is when some brown eyed person shines their high-beams right into your blue eyes. What a great way to blind someone.

[@herodotus6235]

This seems like shit. I’m blue eyed and I shine my high beams into the eyes of delusional fuckwits all the time.

[@RosemaryStudy]

I have navy blue eyes -- I am from Northern Ireland - on a visit home, I took a bus into downtown with my sister. Both of us burst out laughing because everyone that got onto the bus had the same eyes as we had - having lived in the US for decades, we were not accustomed to this and on return to the US told our mother who said, "that is because we are a race of people" -- she had a point.

[@briancox2721]

I have blue eyes. When is bright out, I want welding goggles for sun glasses. But I see well in the dark. If you have blue eyes, here's a fun trick to play: use LED or sodium lighting to strongly light a room with only red, orange, or yellow light. Your eyes will appear black because there is no blue light for your eyes to scatter and make the normal color. People with brown eyes will still have fairly normal looking eyes.

[@pommiebears]

My husband has ice blue eyes, absolutely stunning. He has to wear sunglasses in the sun, and considering we live in Australia, he wears them constantly. But, he has no problem navigating the dark. I have hazel eyes, and the sun doesn’t bother me much, but I’m blind as a bat in the dark.

[@silky2204]

My eyesight started t come bac while living in SC. I could get up in the early mornings and get ready with the dogs to walk.

[@jus_sanguinis]

Agree. Seems like the aesthetics is more important than the practical item. Probably the majority of people will find blue color more attractive than brown. Blue is less common in a nature, its like rare gold while brown is like more common iron.

[@magnuscarlsson9969]

@@jus_sanguinis Personally I'm more attracted to brown eyes. Thankfully my husband likes my blue eyes so i suppose it works out. My sister have brown eyes and she must had got them from grandma, being the only close relative other then my sister with brown eyes. I probably got my auburn reddish-brown hair from grandma since all other close relatives have some shade of blonde. Genetics are really interesting when it skips a generation like that.

[@BoiDoggo]

What color is your your kid’s eyes?

[@justaweeb14688]

Hopefully your kids keep blue eyes

[@jarodmasci3445]

I think the post-Ice Age people were able to live at higher latitudes. That means that during winter months, it's dark for 12-16 hours per day. It's not about hunting, it's about doing daily chores in low light winter conditions. Yes, more glare with blue eyes.....but being able to do meaningful work for longer in low light (candle or hearth light) is a huge advantage. Tool-making, sewing, butchering, etc all require a fair bit of precision.

[@megenberg8]

you have something. land of the midnight sun. long cold/dark more cerebral due to pressures and the power of thought demanded of survival. great perseverance and experience result being intelligence and insight. a general rule.

[@stephena1196]

Also twilight lasts longer at latitudes further from the equator.

[@StarkartOrg-urban-art-gallery]

Yeah but why the Populations in Siberia and Greenland do not have Blueeyes at all?

[@susannebrunberg4174]

​@@StarkartOrg-urban-art-galleryThey are of mongolian heritage. Not European.

[@helmeteye]

Something I have noticed, anecdotally speaking, is that the new lights we use are too bright for blue eyes. I have blue eyes and prefer the old yellow lights. The lights that burn white hurt my eyes. I'm not the only one. I worked in video and we would have to turn the lights off in the studio once the company switched over to the new lights. I didn't notice this on purpose. I asked people if the lights were too bright for them and just happened to notice that they were only too bright for the people with blue eyes. The lights didn't bother people with brown eyes.

[@hayorge27]

Until recently, I worked in a factory with really bright lights. Most of the white men who work there wear sunglasses their entire shift. I did sometimes.

[@iannickCZ]

As a blue-eyed man living in central Europe, I break both rules you mentioned: Ladies never showing any extra interest just because of eye colour (married after 40s), plus bad vision during dusk time. (Not sure if any correlation to deutan colour blindness.)

[@monkeyboy1377]

I’m 16 from the Netherlands and I expirerende the exact opposite, with being almost blind in peak summer bcs of the light and getting headaches, but in the night or in the winter i see better then all my brown eyed friends, also my girlfriend has beautiful green eyes.

[@tailoredGenesis]

I shook my head when the part about blue eyes helping glare came up. I have blue eyes and I'm very light-sensitive. Used to be I couldn't walk outside on a sunny day without sunglasses. Seeing better in low-light makes more sense to me, granted the study is limited.

[@johnnyllooddte3415]

its not blue eyes.. thats silly.. see a doctor

[@kl1ajmm]

@@johnnyllooddte3415 Light colored eyes (blue, green) are more sensitive to light - that has been proven for quite a while (just a quick google will enlighten you). It also varies by person. I have very light blue eyes and sunlight and headlights at night really bother me - just like @tailoredGenesis describes.

[@carriephilippi]

I am also blue eyed and very sensitive to light. Sunglasses year round

[@althechicken9597]

My eyes have been described as black because of how dark brown they are, but my experience has been the same as yours. I have driving sun glasses, and my eyes take forever to adjust to light, but as a kid, I was the hide and seek in the dark champion because my dark vision is great.

[@The_Antiquary]

You misunderstood, he was speculating the opposite, that snow glare perhaps reduced the need or usefulness of blue eyes.

[@marthanewsome6375]

I am blue eyed. I always thought I was night blind because I have trouble driving at night. Now that I think about it, it's the glare from street lights and car head lights that blind me and not the darkness.

[@bethanyhunt2704]

Try wearing sunglasses when driving at night. It completely cuts the star radiance that lights give off at night.

[@MadsterV]

get checked! there's a specific condition that makes bright lights glare way too much

[@MamaMOB]

This!! My night vision has recently started going down. I work nights so driving in the dark is pretty common. But I've been having difficulty with it. Not because of the darkness but because of the headlights. I'm trying to see around the bright light!

[@monkeyboy1377]

Test it by going to the countryside at night, I can see perfectly fine in a pitch Black Forest but not in my lit up city at night bcs of light pollution

[@89ludeawakening1]

Well, as someone who has light blue eyes I can tell you that I have great vision in low-light conditions. I can see at least a little bit even if it's pitch black. But when I go out in the sun, I'm almost completely blind. If I don't wear sunglasses I get horrible headaches.

[@chagels5431]

Another theory (I first heard this from Michael A. Woodley I believe) is that the genes for blue eyes are an expression of advantageous neoteny (retaining juvenile traits to adulthood to one's benefit). The genes for blue eyes may be piggybacking on other genes that would benefit a human living in Europe, such as the ability to digest lactose beyond infancy as well as retaining the fair skin of infancy. As such, overall selection pressure in Europe for juvenile traits may have caused Europeans to retain these juvenile traits to adulthood at a much greater frequency than other populations. This would also explain why so many brown eyed and dark haired adult Europeans actually start out with blue eyes and blond hair as infants/children. This obviously does not explain everything, but it may be another piece to solve the puzzle.

[@dananorth895]

Interesting take. If modern humans go back at least 300,000 years as current research suggests, the blue eye genes could be much older as an adaptation to low light conditions. Instead of actual genetic mutation the DNA/RNA would already be recorded as backup until triggered by environmental factors. Neotany would back up a bit and pull blue/greys on the DNA shelf as needed.

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

Yes the starting with blonde hair thing is interesting. In South Africa at age 5 almost all the kids have blonde hair but a minority blonde on graduating high school. Never seen this discussed by evolutionary biologists. Although those folk are more interested in being woke these days than being scientists.

[@astroman0500]

This is my preferred hypothesis out of the bunch. Neoteny as an evolutionary strategy happens all throughout the animal kingdom. And those points you mentioned really cement the whole argument.

[@Hungabrigoo]

Do people actually change eye color when they grow up? I never heard about that. The other thing about kids almost always having light hair which then turns darker as they age is absolutely true though, at least where I live.

[@martialgirl8301]

​@@Hungabrigoo i'm actually surprised some people don't. I thought everyone did. I was born with blue eyes and later as I grew they changed to a weird grey-green-hazel mix

[@IEversmann1]

Happy to say my son born on August 6th last year has blue eyes and red hair.

[@JoyfulDuck-zp5wg]

Congratulations! My daughters birthday is Aug 6 but she is 22 years old! Enjoy your little one! They grow fast!

[@Nettsinthewoods]

A beautiful combination of

[@searchingfortruth4783]

Interesting that this research is only coming out now. I was told as a child (38 years ago), that blue eyes were useful in dark conditions (such as the forests of Northern Europe), as was blonde and ginger hair, as it allowed for better synthesis of vitamin d via sun shining directly on to the crown of the head. Any thoughts?

[@pacer2165]

As a blue eyed person, I am very light sensitive. I keep the lights on low most of the time. Even in the evening. I tint my car windows with the darkest tint that's legal and need to use sunglasses during the day. Days tend to be shorter in northern climates where the majority of blue eyed are located.

[@sasha219]

I have electric blue eyes. Ive even been accused of wearing contacts to make them this color. People will stare in amazment on occasion. As a child this made me very shy and i wouldn't look at people in the eyes. On sunny days the light can be blinding without sunglasses. My eyes will water in bright conditions, but at night i can see for miles and have always preferred the darkness.

[@loverrlee]

Me too. My dark blue eyes also get watery on bright sunny days, so I much prefer overcast weather and the dark, which is why I’m such a night owl. I had no idea this trait was shared with so many other blue eyed people like me.

[@magallon643]

What are you, Bane or something 😊

[@MaryWallace-wv2bn]

Any browned eyed people have comments?

[@keepitreal665]

Egotist

[@snakeplisken2123]

I’ve got hazel eyes, woman have commented on them my entire life only woman.

[@kiefershanks4172]

My wife has brown eyes and likes to turn on bright overhead lights in our home whereas I would prefer small indirect light sources to keep things dimly lit. I have blue eyes. This is pretty interesting stuff. Makes a lot of sense.

[@Brittany_L]

Yes! My partner has brown eyes and he would make comments getting into bed in our dimly lit or darkened room, saying he couldn’t see where he was going.. meanwhile I would be surprised and say “I can see just fine.” (Grey-Blue eyes here) Makes more sense now.

[@martinwebb1681]

@@Brittany_L ... 😂... I have blue eyes and I walk round in the pitch black, I see fine in the total dark, people say to me how the hell can you see it's totally black.

[@Brittany_L]

@@martinwebb1681 😂

[@ascendednightingale2456]

I have brown eyes and prefer dim lighting. My eyes are more light brown than normal brown eyes, though.

[@MadTracker]

North American indigenous people hunted in heavily forested areas, and surely it’s a given anywhere that dawn and dusk are good times to catch prey, yet no blue eyes. Perhaps the adaptation is due in part to a specific regional species of prey which required night hunting, one available only in Europe?

[@leslie4814]

Blue eyed person here… I really prefer dark and very, very dark over cast skies. I can barely see anything in sunny conditions unless I wear sunglasses for a few minutes.

[@AndyJarman]

In his memoirs, T E Lawrence (of Arabia) commented that the Bedouin found his blue eyes very disturbing, like holes in the back of his head through which you could see the sky.

[@wcstrawberryfields8011]

True. White Walkers we are.

[@FixedFace]

"your eyes are like holes in the back of your head" "yeah sure achmed"

[@RonnieMcNutt666]

as a white person regularly interacting with the muslim world, they are obsessed with my blue eyes, i guess theres some meme or something about indians claiming to have blue eyes or ... idk lol

[@helgabruin2261]

I love that perspective!

[@ROGZI3L]

​@@RonnieMcNutt666before memes I believe it was called folklore haha😂

[@yuli.wed.]

One thing i found particularly interesting is blue eyes get dialted quicker and more effectively than brown eyes when using eye drops at the optomitrist. Lines up with the theory that less pigment means more sensetive and quicker dialation and less protection from glare and light.

[@Shark_Chick_]

Because i have blue eyes i was told by the eye doctor to use the children dose of eye dilating drops and still be fully dilated. it wares off much quicker. Every eye examination I speak up. My eyes are so sensitive to light normally and I need rides to the eye dr if dilating. I also have to premeditate for a migraine that day also

[@Alex-fc8xn]

​@@Shark_Chick_I recently had those drops and lol I know what you mean. As I sat waiting for them to work I just kept muttering "I hate this" and going "ugh, ew, ow" at any bright colour I saw, especially neons and whites. I brought sunglasses because they were kind enough to warn me ahead of time that I'd be getting the drops. Luckily my glasses already have a tint to reduce blue light, brightness, and glare (a faint peachy-tan, like a subtle instagram filter)

[@sunnyquinn3888]

Idk, I have brown eyes and my eye doctor always comments on how my pupils are so huge they don't even have to use the drops on me.

[@ray.b.75]

In an ice age, people survived living in caves. Thus, eyes evolved to see better inside caves.

[@Ash-js2ig]

I have gray blue eyes and can not sleep without a sleep mask. Any light will seem so bright at night for me.

[@VanaheimrUllr]

As a (former) moose hunter from Hedmark, I can tell you that getting up before sunrise at getting out in the woods, is pretty much still alive. Not only because of the movement of the animals, its a way of animal and human welfare too. If one should get so unlucky to wound an animal, its much easier to have the whole bright day for search, rather than tumbling around in the dark or may have to give up and proceed the next day.

[@roberthyatt342]

I am sorry to hear you gave up moose hunting.

[@user-yq8ck8yf3u]

As a blue eyed person I notice that I can see more detail in the night sky than many people.

[@GunSperg]

This is also true for whitetail deer hunters in Appalachia

[@aresaurelian]

Are we saying that blue eyed people can track blood trails better? That would actually make sense, as light blue is a complementary to blood red.

[@madlynx1818]

Good points and that would also be an explanation for all the creative and inventiveness of our people.