Asian Eyes

This is a follow up to TCG’s interesting article on vision.

Its a question many always wondered but thought it was too racist to ask. What makes asian eyes look the way they do? The cause is a small skin fold in the corner of the eye called an epicanthic fold. It produces sort of an arch over the inner corner of the eye. Take a look at these comparison photos.

The true evolutionary purpose of the fold is not known. Some scientists believe it may be a neutral trait that simply arose in certain populations with no benefit or handicap. Others attribute it to the climate conditions of populations with the folds. It is believed that people with the folds have their eyes better protected from UV rays, a trait that would be useful in environments with bright landscapes or strong winds, like say ones you may find in Mongolia?

The degree of the fold can also vary. Those of mixed race or those further or closer to the center of the sinosphere can have more mild or extreme folds. For example below, the picture on the top shows a girl from Central Asia, where the fold is barely noticeable. The one on the bottom shows a girl from Korea, where the folds are extreme, causing a “fish eye” appearance.

The fold also may occur in some non-asian ethnic groups, such as those in Oceania, Central Asia, Native Americans, Inuit, certain tribes in Africa, and certain Scandinavians such as the Saami.

Another question is wether or not the folds restrict vision, while in fact it does not. It just causes them to view alignment differently, outlined in this article.

There is also a cancer spreading in China and East Asia. As the Korean pointed out some time ago, many people are getting plastic surgery. One of the surgeries that is quite popular is the East Asian blepharoplasty, where the exterior around the eye is reshaped to give a double eyelid look. This does not remove the fold, but still makes the eye look less… asian. The removal of the fold is called an Epicanthoplasty and is still uncommon. Below shows the before and after pics of an Epicanthoplasty.

Such surgery in not recommended even by plastic surgeons, as it could risk damaging the tear duct, plus many feel the result looks unnatural.

There are also ‘eyelid pastes’ that are sold that allow someone to temporarily hide their fold without surgery.

Of course if you really want people to notice, one could buy those anime eye contacts that make you look like a possessed zombie and scare the shit out of people.