Seasonal affective disorder: your eye colour might be why you have the 'winter blues'

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This well-known phenomenon, called seasonal affective disorder, might explain why people feel low, irritable and lethargic in the winter months. Though many people might suspect they have SAD, the condition is usually diagnosed using the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire. We found that people with light or blue eyes scored significantly lower on the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire than those with dark or brown eyes. open image in gallery Blue eyes may make the winter more tolerable The reason that eye colour may make some people more susceptible to depression or mood changes might be because of the amount of light an individual’s eyes can process.