What Is the Limbal Ring?

The limbal ring is a dark circle that can sometimes be seen around the colored part of the eye, or the iris. Studies have shown that prominent limbal rings are often associated with attractiveness. These rings are typically darker when a person is a child, and they will often fade with age. Colored contact lenses may be used to create the illusion of a darker limbal ring.

The corneal limbus is the part of the eye where the cornea meets the white part of the eye, which is known as the sclera. When this area appears as a dark ring, it is referred to as a limbal ring. This ring will sometimes be very dark or black. Other times, it will be a darker shade of the iris.

A limbal ring will not usually be very large. Typically, these rings are less than a millimeter thick. Some people, however, have very thick ones around their irises.

A big limbal ring will often make the whites of the eyes brighter. This is often associated with attractiveness. Although these rings are not usually noticeable to many people, people with these rings are often thought to have very attractive eyes.

Attractive eyes are often associated with attractive faces. Research has shown prominent limbal rings are considered to have more attractive faces. Test subjects in this research were shown pictures of several people, some with prominent rings and some without. The majority of the test subjects believed that the pictures of the people with the limbal rings were more attractive than the pictures of the people without them.

Limbal rings are typically only seen on young, healthy individuals. This is another reason that individuals with prominent ones are considered attractive. They are typically present when a child is born, and they are usually still somewhat visible throughout a person's childhood and into his 20s. As a person gets older or begins to have health problems, his limbal rings will begin to fade.

Contact lenses can sometimes be worn to enhance a person's limbal rings. These are usually nothing more than contact lenses with dark lines around the edges. Lines on limbal ring contacts can either be very thick, for a dramatic look, or thin, for a subtle look.