by Cindy Walker Burton
“You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes. And your smile is a thin disguise. Thought by now you’d realize, there ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.” Those lyrics are from the 1975 Eagles ballad “Lyin’ Eyes.” Some studies have debunked the notion that eye movement direction (looking up and to the right) has a distinct correlation with lying. However, subtle clues like increased blinking, eye twitching, pupil dilation, and avoiding eye contact suggest deception. Guess what an intentional form of deception is called? Answer: lying. Oh, those lyin’ eyes!
“Eyes are windows to the soul” comes from Shakespeare, who was inspired by the Bible. Matthew 6:22-23 says: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
Allow me to present an eyeful of insightful eye facts. Your peepers process 36,000 pieces of information per hour. Your retina works at 19 million bits per second. One eye has 200 million working parts. The six muscles that control eye movement are the fastest in the human body. The images you see are projected upside down and backward onto your retina but your brain flips them right-side up. Your eyes can get sunburned. Just like a fingerprint, every person’s iris is unique (even identical twins don’t have identical iris patterns). At birth, you are colorblind and your eyes are 75% of the size they’ll be in adulthood.
Speaking of irises, brown is the most common eye color, green is the rarest, and blue eyes don’t contain blue pigment. Blue eyes are the prettiest (but I’m biased because I inherited my beautiful baby blues from my dad and grandfather).
Remember when your mother said eat your carrots to help your vision? Orange (and yellow) fruits and vegetables are rich in betacarotene which makes vitamin A which produces rhodopsin which is vital for vision in poor light which means Mother was a visionary. How’s this for optics: you can see one million colors, but tetrachromats are blessed with a fourth type of special cone in their retina which allows them to see an eye popping 100 million colors!
You may have hungry eyes, Betty Davis Eyes, angel eyes, the eye of the tiger, or those deceptive lyin’ eyes. You may have seen eye catching movies like Eyes Wide Shut, For Your Eyes Only, Heart Eyes, or The Hills Have Eyes. Did your eyes cry when you heard the song My Eyes Adored You or I Only Have Eyes For You?
Please take care of the windows to your soul. Envision these ocular tips: Visit your optometrist regularly and practice eye safety in the workplace. Wear sunglasses and avoid smoke. Rest your eyes during prolonged computer, phone, and device use and binge watching t.v. Eat right to help your sight. Eyes are the silent language of the universe. They speak volumes without saying a word. See what I mean?
