# The whites of the eyes of dark-skinned people **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whites-of-the-eyes-of-dark-skinned-people/333379 "2005-11-30T15:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dead\_Battery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@Dead\_Battery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Battery)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whites-of-the-eyes-of-dark-skinned-people/333379/1 "2005-11-30T15:08:39Z")
Why do the whites of dark-skinned people seem to tinge brown rather then red when they’re tired or have been crying or whatever normally induces red-veins in the whites of the eyes of light-skinned people? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whites-of-the-eyes-of-dark-skinned-people/333379/2 "2005-11-30T16:27:41Z")
Assuming this is true (I can’t say I ever noticed), a reasonable guess would be that the same melanin that causes dark skin and dark eyes has an effect. ---
**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whites-of-the-eyes-of-dark-skinned-people/333379/3 "2005-12-01T02:19:32Z")
Is [this](http://medicine.ucsd.edu/clinicalimg/eyes-muddy-brown-sclera.html) what you’re talking about? If so, it’s a normal variant that is always present in some people, especially those with dark skin. I do not think that it has anything to do with the vasculature of the eye, and am not aware of it being more obvious after crying or when tired.