Limbal Rings And Mating

By ROTFLOLEB - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27603178

The presence of limbal rings around the iris of the eye are seen as cues for health and youth; females are more prone to respond to such cues; women use these cues to consider men as short-term mating partners.  It strikes me as likely that these rings would be more visible in people with light-colored eyes.  In any case, there isn’t much anyone can do about it, except the “contact lenses that mimic limbal rings” approach, which is similar to dyeing gray hair, in a sense.  Abstract:

Limbal rings are dark annuli encircling the iris that fluctuate in visibility based on health and age. Research also indicates their presence augments facial attractiveness. Given individuals' prioritization of health cues in short-term mates, those with limbal rings may be implicated as ideal short-term mates. Three studies tested whether limbal rings serve as veridical health cues, specifically the extent to which this cue enhances a person's value as a short-term mating partner. In Study 1, targets with limbal rings were rated as healthier, an effect that was stronger for female participants and male targets. In Study 2, temporally activated short-term mating motives led women to report a heightened preference for targets with limbal rings. In Study 3, women rated targets with limbal rings as more desirable short-term mates. Results provide evidence for limbal rings as veridical cues to health, particularly in relevant mating domains.