Eye colour is a component in cataract

According to some researchers, people with brown eyes are at increased dangerof developing cataracts than those with blue eyes. Australian researchers have evaluated the eye health of 3004 people aged 50 or above. Five years on, they reviewed which, of the 2,224 still alive, had developed cataract. Anyone who lives long enough will experience cataract, as the proteins within the eye lens start to clump together, causing cloudiness.

Cataract can severely impair vision and the only treatment is to remove the faulty lens and insert an implant. In this study, people who had brown eyes turned out to be 70 per cent more likely to develop a cataract than those with blue eyes. What is more, the brown-eyed participants were two and a half times more likely to need surgery for their cataract. The reason for the link between eye colour and cataract risk is not at all clear, say the researchers.