DIFFERENT COLOURS OF EACH EYE IN THE SAME PERSON.

North Otago Times, 22 May 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

DIFFERENT COLOURS OF EACH EYE IN THE SAME PERSON.

, +_ — , Everybody undoubtedly has observed now and then that the colour of the iris of one oyo looked different from that of the other eye of the same person. Now it is truo that there are persons in whom this difference appears to be consistent with perfect health of each oyo, at least at the time of observation; but that very frequently this different colour is a danger signal is shown by tho careful observations of Br. Anton Lutz, of Zurich. He has studied about twentyrfivo cases of this peculiarity and comes to the following conclusions : Sometimes it happens that tho one eye of a person possesses a lighter iris than the other. These people usually are dark coloured and mostly state that the colour of the iris of tho one eye wns inherited from the mother and that of the other from the father. Frequently the different colour of the eyes wns discovered shortly after birth, but sometimes it developed in tho first years of life, The lighter colour may form in two different ways : either the pigmentation (colouring matter) ih the one eye docs not occur or tho eye loses ill pigment as compared with the other.

Very often the lighter eye, and only this, shows decided changes, which mny be of two kinds: (1) Changes in the innervation, due to a partial paralysis of the sympathetic nerve such as was evidenced in the larger pupil and the greater opening between the lids, and (2) changes in tho uvea (the inner pigmented layer ot the ins), as shown by the chronic cyclitis (inflammation of tho musclo which controls the shape of the lens of the eye), and a special inclination to cataract, In the beginning one sees only very fine deposits on tho cornea (the transparent coat of the eyeball) and opacities in the vitreous (transparent jelly inside the eye). Later mostly cataract develops and often glaucoma (a condition of the eye which consists mainly in an increased tension of the ey'oball due to excess of fluid in it) is a sequence. This disease is chronic'and begins very insidiously, lasting at least for several years. It attacks equally the male and the female sex, and prefers the second and third decade of life. Tho disease is not painful; troubles occur relatively late and show themselves in reduced ability see and final loss of sight. There is no heredity, and constant relations to the general health so far have not been cstnblished.-'Topu-lar Science Sittings,"