Young people judge age by eyes

Young adults judge the age and alertness of older people by looking into and around their eyes, concluded a study published in the February issue of Ophthalmology.

Huy Tu Nguyen, MD, of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, US, and colleagues showed young people (n=47) computer images of the faces of older people. A camera mounted on the computer monitor incorporated an eye-tracking device, which analyzed the direction and duration of the participants' gazes.

The study found that the younger participants most often looked at the eye region, followed by the forehead and the nose region.

The researchers concluded that the results demonstrate that the eye region is the most often assessed by those making fatigue and age judgments.