12 Fun Facts About Eyes
Cool facts about human eyes for kids
Welcome to the mesmerizing world of the human eye! Your eyes are like magical cameras that capture the beauty of the world around you. Here are some fun facts about the eye!
1: Eye muscles are like puppet strings.
Eye muscles look like straps, and each of your eyes has six!
These eye muscle straps act like puppet strings. Each “puppet string” pulls your eye to help you look in a certain direction.
A lot of coordination is needed for this puppet show! Your left and right eye muscles must move in the same direction so you can see clearly.
Together, your eye muscles move 100,000 times per day!
2: They move when you sleep.
As your arms, legs, and other body parts rest, your eyes move quickly in different directions.
In fact, your eyes move when you’re having dramatic dreams!
3: Eyes are connected to your nose.
Yes, they are truly connected! The secret tunnel between each eye and nostril is the tear duct.
The tear ducts act like a drain for your tears. When you blink, tears from your eyes get pushed down the tear ducts. Then they drip out your nose.
That’s why your nose gets runny and full of snot when you cry.
Waaahhhhh! Time to grab a tissue and blow your nose!
4: Eyes grow as your body grows.
Like the rest of your body, your eyeballs have growth spurts, too.
Babies are born with eyes about 75% of their adult size. During the first few years of life, eyeballs grow a lot.
Eyeballs go through another growth spurt during puberty.
5: Brown eyes have more melanin.
Similar to skin color, eye color depends on melanin.
Brown eyes have lots of melanin, while blue eyes have much less.
Your eye color also depends on your DNA and the genetics of your parents and relatives.
6: The colored part is a muscle.
The colored part of the eye is called the iris. But it’s more than a pretty color. The iris is a ring-shaped muscle.
7: The black hole gets bigger and smaller.
The black holes in your eye are called pupils, and they change size when light changes. Your beautiful iris muscle controls your pupil size.
When it’s bright, the iris changes the pupil size and makes it smaller. When it’s dark, the iris changes the pupil size and makes it bigger.
Explore this fun eye fact in the mirror!
- Turn off the light and see what happens to your pupil size.
- Then, watch what happens when you turn the light back on.
8: Pupils change with motions.
In addition to light, emotions can cause your pupils to change in size.
- When you are excited or scared, your pupils get bigger.
- When your body is relaxed, like during a mindfulness activity, your pupils return to their regular size.
9: Your eyes see things upside down.
When you look at something, your lens displays that picture upside down onto the back of your eye.
When your smart brain processes that picture, it automatically flips it right side up. Pretty cool, right?
10: You can sneeze with your eyes open.
And nope, they won’t pop out of your head!
Normally, sneezing triggers your eyes to squeeze shut. It’s a reflex.
Scientists are still researching this fun fact, but it could be your body’s way of protecting your eyes from boogers flying out of your nose.
It’s possible to sneeze with your eyes open if you try very, very, very hard, but doctors don’t recommend it. Reflexes are there for a reason. Spend your efforts on something fun and useful, and let nature do its thing!
11: You blink 15 times each minute.
Well, give or take a few. When your eyes need to focus while reading or watching TV, you blink as little as five times per minute. On the other hand, when you’re having a great conversation, you blink around 25 times per minute.
This adds up to over 21,000 blinks a day and 7 million blinks a year!
Even though you blink automatically, it’s important work. Each blink is a chance to clean your eyes.
When you read or look at screens, make time for blinking breaks!
12: Babies hardly blink.
Get ready for the cutest and weirdest fun eye fact of all time.
Have you ever had a staring contest with a baby? You’d have a high chance of losing. That’s because babies blink only one or two times per minute.
Scientists think babies blink less because their eyes work hard at taking all the new sights.
Since babies sleep so much and keep their eyes closed most of the day, they might not need to blink as much.
Learn more about your amazing body!
Published on April 30, 2023. Updated on March 29, 2024 by Betty Choi, MD
Published on April 30, 2023. Updated on March 29, 2024 by Betty Choi, MD
Betty Choi, MD
Dr. Betty Choi is a Harvard-trained pediatrician who makes learning fun and doable. She created the kids’ anatomy book Human Body Learning Lab, which Science Magazine recommended as a “notable standout in the genre.”