eli5… Light eyes are more sensitive to light than darker eyes—but how noticeable is the sensitivity?

Question

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In: 37

Answer 1

I don’t think there’s a single answer.

It would not astonish me if people with light eyes are slightly more sensitive to light than people with dark eyes. But unless a study has been done on it (none have that I’m aware of), it would be really hard to say how much.

Within each eye color, too, there’s a spectrum. Some people with light eyes are fine with bright lights. Others hate them. The same goes for people with dark eyes.

Also, short of a study with controlled conditions, this is all very subjective. Anyone who goes from darkness to somewhere bright will have trouble seeing for at least a few seconds. Possibly people who live in darker environments (e.g. Seattle vs. LA) also have a harder time adjusting to bright lights.