If you don’t have them, you’ve seen them. You’re looking someone right in the eye, and just there, you notice it: a little brown spot(s) on the white of their eye.
Now, if it isn’t your eye, you may not say anything about. And I don’t blame you. (Some things are like asking a woman if she’s pregnant; you just don’t bring it up unless they do so first.) But if it is your own reflection that you’re looking at, you may wonder what is going on and why.
Brown Spots on Your Eyes
What are these little brown spots, and are they dangerous?
These brown marks on the sclera or the thin membrane (the white part) of the eye are actually just pigmentation. Not considered to be dangerous, painful or even have any effect on vision, they are strictly cosmetic.
The easiest thing to compare them to would be freckles, because they are caused by the same substance, melanin. They are usually made more distinct by the sunlight and once they’ve appeared they don’t fade or disappear. They cannot be removed. But to lessen the frequency at which they occur, you can limit the amount of sun exposure your eyes endure by wearing a great pair of full coverage sunglasses.
Brown spots can occur on anyone but happen more frequently on those of African descent and are also more common on those who naturally freckle a great deal in the sun. They do appear “suddenly” but they aren’t harmful and should not affect your vision.
However, if they do being to impair your vision, change in size or shape or if you’re concerned it might be something other than a typical pigment change, you should schedule an appointment with your optometrist for a complete eye exam.