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There is talk occasionally in various places about black rings around
the iris or dark rings around the iris being a symptom of real vampirism.
It's VERY hard to get concrete information, however - even on the site
where this theory originates - about WHAT the ring is supposed to look
like, or even what color it's actually supposed to be. Therefore, this
article has information about different types of rings around the eyes,
and what - medically speaking - health conditions may possibly be represented
by each of them.
Note that this is NOT a complete list - only a summary
of what was reasonably quick to find.
Plenty of references are listed below for those who wish to learn more.
If you have some sort of ring around the eye - or any other pigmentation
or shape change in the eyes (and especially if you have vision changes,
pain or discomfort of any sort!) - please DO have your eyes checked out
by an eye care professional (not just the shopping center optometrists
who do your glasses or contacts) AND have blood work done by your primary
care doctor in order to be sure there's no underlying medical cause that
needs to be addressed!
I'm not saying it can't be very common among real vampires, only that
you need to make sure it's not caused by anything else first. Ignoring
your health is always a bad idea.
It shouldn't need to be said, but just in case... None of the eye issues
below are limited to people with specific eye colors - bad health can
happen to anyone depending on their circumstances, and the same with random
mutational quirks in eye colors.
GLOSSARY
Arcus:
Latin word meaning "arc".
Bowman's Membrane / Bowman's Layer:
Smooth layer in the eye located in between corneal layers. It is composed
of collagen and helps the cornea maintain it's shape.
Cornea:
The transparent, dome shaped 'window' covering the front of the eye
Conjunctiva:
Clear mucous membrane covering the whites of the eyes. Inflammation
of this part of the eye is called conjunctivitis, commonly known as
"pinkeye".
Cyclitis:
Inflammation of the ciliary body that causes redness of the sclera adjacent
to the cornea of the eye. (The ciliary body is the set of muscles that
make your eye focus on objects close up or far away.)
Limbus:
The junction between the cornea and the sclera. This is the area surrounding
the iris.
Sclera:
Whites of the eyes
Uveitis:
Swelling and irritation of the center of the eye. The uvea provides
most of the blood supply to the retinas.
GENERAL PIGMENTATION ISSUES
(Not limited to rings, but may appear as such in rare situations)
Argyria / Argyrosis (rare; caused
by excessive silver salts, long term minocycline use, etc.)
Bluish-black pigmentation due to excessive applications of insoluble
albuminate of silver, such as colloidal silver. This is rare, but most
often seen as a general blueish-black skin discoloration, but can be
localized to the eyes if the patient is just using a silver salt compound
near the eyes on a long-term basis. The discoloration is permanent,
and harmless by itself, however extremely high doses of silver compounds
can eventually be fatal. The discoloration often gets confused with
cyanosis (lack of oxygen, which also causes a blueish tint) and can
present extra challenges in medical care.
Calcific Band Keratopathy
Grayish-white Calcium deposits (often in a band, but sometimes occurring
in a ring) either across the cornea or in the limbus. Caused by conditions
resulting in high calcium, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, chronic
renal insufficiency (evidenced by elevated calcium in relation to phosphate),
sarcoidosis, milk-alkali syndrome, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's disease,
and beryliosis (beryillium disease due to inhallation of beryillium
dust.)
This may get confused for Arcus (see description in next section) but
high calcium conditions can be noted on a complete metabolic/chem20
blood test - get a cholesterol panel at the same time to determine whether
it's a calcium issue, cholesterol issue or something else completely.
Chrysiasis /
chrysoderma (caused by excessive gold insolubles)
Similar to Argyrosis, only due to gold instead of silver. This discoloration
is also permanent, and is similar in color. Gold salts were once used
as a treatment for joint pain conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
(RA); Methotrexate is now the preferred agent for RA treatment.
Foreign Bodies
Metallic objects, and components from things such as makeup or mascara
can get in the eye, get under the top layers, and remain there lending
the color of the object to the part of the eye it's in. Iron deposits
from eye makeup and mascara are just one example of this.
Jaundice
Yellowing of the eyes (and also other parts of the body prone to discoloration
in this situation.) This is caused by various types of liver problems
(cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, Wilson's Disease, Sarcoidosis, acetaminophen/Tylenol
overdosing/poisoning, etc.), as the liver becomes unable to filter bile
out of the body in a timely manner. This is the most common medical
ailment associated with yellowing of the eyes and skin, however Ochronosis
can also sometimes cause a yellow tint. (No, the color is not "off"
in this sample picture - jaundice affects the skin as well as the eye,
giving everything a yellowish tint.)
Not to be confused with Lycopenemia, a harmless yellowish-orange discoloration
due to excessive dietary consumption of lycopenes (found in tomato products
and other fruits and berries) and/or carotenes (such as found in carrots.)
Ochronosis (rare, recessive, inherited)
Blueish-black or dark yellow deposits in the skin of the eyelids, conjunctiva,
sclera and limbus; also in various connective tissues throughout the
body causing them to become brittle. This is a sign of alkaptonuria,
a metabolic disorder caused by deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase.
Tumors
Tumors may also appear (such as Kaposi's Sarcoma in immunocompromised
patients, or a conjunctival melanoma that turns the location black)
but are generally distinguishable by a professional from simple discoloration
due to size, shape and location in the eye.
Sample tumor pictures are very "ewww, gross!" - run your
own search if you really want to see them, I'm not forcing them upon
anyone who's unprepared.
SPECIFIC ISSUES
Arcus Senilis / Corneal Arcus
Greyish-white ring, or partial ring, around the outer edge. True Arcus
is caused by deposits due to abnormally high lipid levels (hyperlipoproteinemia).
A cholesterol panel can reveal whether cholesterol is the cause; paired
with a complete metabolic/chem20 panel can differentiate between cholesterol,
calcium and other issues. The pigmentation changes are permanent, but
do not seem to cause visual impairments (they don't cross the pupil).
It is referred to as "Arcus Senilis" in the elderly (it's
occurrence is more frequent with age) and "corneal arcus"
in younger people.
Heterochromia, Central
The central zone of the iris (surrounding the pupil) is a different
color from the rest of the iris. Often this different color is yellow,
brown, orange, and is often (sometimes incorrectly) referred to as "hazel"
if it coveres most of, or all of, the iris. It may be a small skinny
ring, or covering larger portions of the iris. It's often cosmetic -
and hotly debated as to whether it's due to excessive toxins in the
body. (I wouldn't rule out the toxin theory, it's wouldn't be the first
time conventional medicine ignores something simple because they think
it couldn't possibly be a cause...)
Alternate causes can include a condition called Fuchs' Heterochromic
Uveitis/Iridocyelitis, a chronic low-grade inflammatory condition that
also includes cataracts, opacities, and glaucoma, and is typically seen
between ages 20-60, with an average age of diagnosis being around 40.
Heterochromia, Sectoral (inherited)
The heterochromic coloration only occurs in one section (hence "sectoral")
of the iris. Much less common than central heterochromia or complete
heterochromia, and typically found with such ailments as Hirschsprung's
disease (enlargement of the colon caused by obstruction) and Waardenburg
syndrome (characterized by varying degrees of hearing impairment, pigmentary
abnormalities of the skin, hair and eyes, and sometimes including intestinal
and spinal defects.)
Kayser-Fleischer Ring
Coppery (or dark, golden or reddish brown) coloration in the limbus
area. This is common in Wilson's disease due to a failure to metabolize
copper. It occasionally occurs in populations with liver issues (chronic
hepatitis, cirrhosis, high cholesterol in the liver, etc.) In Wilson's
Disease, there is a corresponding gene defect mapped to chromosone 13.
The upper portion of the eye is affected more frequently than the lower.
Limbus / Limbal Ring
General term referencing pigmentation of the limbus. A simple limbal
ring might also be a sign of Addison's disease (a form of hypothyroidism),
and should ALWAYS be checked out. Arcus and Kayser-Fleischer rings are
typically in the limbus area, and calcium deposits may show up as a
limbal ring rather than a straight band across the cornea (which will
get them confused with the more benign Arcus rings.) It's also possible
for other pigmentation issues to show up just in the limbus area, which
is why it's important to get it checked to rule out medical ailments.
Limbal rings are always dark - they may even appear black, depending
on a person's vision (remember up to 1 in 12 are color blind to one
degree or another), and the visibility does depends on ambient lighting
and eye moisture. One proposed theory on one site is that it's a shadow
caused by the shape of the cornea, but I haven't found anything in medical
literature to verify or deny that yet. (I will update this article when
I find out more.)
Limbal rings are NOT limited to specific colors of eyes. In other aspects,
limbal rings are very popular from an aesthetic viewpoint, as they are
VERY commonly added to contact lenses, especially in Asian countries,
to highlight the iris.
This article is presented as part of an ongoing
effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online
vampire community. As such, the views and attitudes contained in this
article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily
be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update
or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most
importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or
any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - use
your own reasoning and judgment.
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