Retina – Light waves passing through the cornea and lens activate special cells in the retina called rods and cones. Lens – This flat disk bends light waves even more to provide sharp focus for things like reading and examining objects up close. Reviewing the primary mechanisms of the human eye helps illustrate this point.Ĭornea – This clear dome at the front of the eye bends light waves that pass into the eyeball. It turns out that some of the differences in the shapes of our eyeballs have a substantial impact on our eyesight. An adult human eye has small variations in diameter:įront to back – 22-24.8 mm (.87-.98 inches) Medical texts often call the human eyeball a “globe.” And just as our world is a spheroid rather than a true sphere, our eyeballs are not perfectly spherical.Ī true sphere has the same diameter from top to bottom, side to side and front to back. Anatomy: How does eye shape affect vision and eyesight? Selecting the right frames is central to fixing certain vision problems - many of which are caused by subtle flaws in the shape of the eyeball. It turns out that the shape of your face is a big deal if you want frames that make the ideal fashion statement. This is especially true if you need to correct your vision with eyeglasses. Round eyes – People with round eyes have a creased upper eyelid, but some white of the eye may still be visible either at the top or the bottom of the iris.Īs with cosmetics, anything that goes on your face changes your appearance. These are called monolid eyes because the upper eyelid looks like it has a single part (“mono” means one). Monolid eyes – Some people’s upper eyelids don’t have a crease. Downturned eyes appear to be angled slightly downward at the corners. You have upturned eyes if this angle goes upward.ĭownturned eyes – This is the opposite of upturned. Upturned eyes – Look in the mirror and check out the angle of your eyelids at the corners. The second sign: The upper and lower eyelids touch the iris with no white showing at the iris’s top or bottom. It’s why they advise tailoring your makeup to your eye shape to get the best effect.Īlmond eyes – The first sign of almond eyes is a notable crease going all the way across the upper eyelids. Makeup artists and cosmetics experts understand this. With just the right blend of mascara and eyeshadow, our eyes can be even more alluring.

The beauty industry builds fortunes on making this magic happen.Įyes of blue, green, brown and other hues have their own magnetic appeal. Poets, painters and cosmetics professionals agree: A bit of magic happens when our eyes meet. Now, let's look at some answers to eye shape questions. Anatomy is less obvious: Small differences in the shape of the eyeball determine whether somebody is nearsighted or farsighted. To resolve the riddle of eye shape, it helps to ask two questions: Why is eye shape important, and how does eye shape affect our vision? The answers go in two directions: appearance and anatomy.Īppearance is straightforward: Knowing about different eye shapes can help you apply makeup strategically to jazz up your eyes’ natural attractiveness.

An expert in eye anatomy might point out that almost all humans have essentially the same eye shape: a globe that isn’t perfectly round. There are all sorts of fascinating facts about eye shapes - and a few intriguing questions.Ī makeup artist might tell you your eyes are upturned, downturned or almond-shaped. At the same time, almost all human eyeballs share a similar shape.

Tissue, muscle and bone in the skull, eyebrows and eyelids create a framework that appears to give shape to our eyes.

Different types of eye shapes names