Unique morphology of the human eye

Hiromi Kobayashi () and Shiro Kohshima
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Hiromi Kobayashi: Basic Biology, Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology (c/o Faculty of Science), Tokyo Institute of Technology
Shiro Kohshima: Basic Biology, Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology (c/o Faculty of Science), Tokyo Institute of Technology

Nature, 1997, vol. 387, issue 6635, 767-768

Abstract: Abstract Human eyes have a widely exposed white sclera surrounding the darker coloured iris, making it easy to discern the direction in which they are looking1. We compared the external morphology of primate eyes in nearly half of all primate species, and show that this feature is uniquely human. Humans have the largest ratio of exposed sclera in the eye outline, which itself is elongated horizontally. We suggest that these are adaptations to extend the visual field by allowing greater eye movement, especially in the horizontal direction, and to enhance the ease of detecting the gaze direction of another individual.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/42842

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