There is a saying, most often attributed to Shakespeare, that “the eyes are the window to the soul,” and research now finds that eye color also provides clues about our health and personality traits. According to WebMD, here are some examples:

• Macular degeneration. People with light-colored eyes have twice the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), says Prevention. AMD is more common among Caucasians who are more likely to have pale eyes. That’s because less UV light is absorbed by the iris, so more gets through to the retina and causes damage, potentially leading to vision loss.

• Eye cancer. People with blue, green or gray eyes are at greater risk of uveal melanoma, a rare form of eye cancer that affects about 2,500 people in the U.S. annually.

• Alcoholism. According to Prevention, a study published in Personality and Individual Differences found that light-eyed people are at a greater risk for alcohol dependence. On the other hand, those with dark eyes are more sensitive to alcohol and drugs, so they are less likely to be substance abusers.

• Pain tolerance. In research presented at an American Pain Society conference, scientists found that women with light-colored eyes have a higher tolerance for pain during childbirth. Those with darker eyes exhibited more anxiety when giving birth.

• Diabetes. According to WebMD, a study conducted in Europe found that the combination of blue eyes and fair skin increases your risk for Type 1 diabetes.

• Hearing loss. Brown-eyed people are less likely to suffer hearing loss, possibly because they have more of the pigment melanin in their eyes and ears, which is protective against environmental damage.

• Vitiligo. Blue-eyed people are less likely to have this blotchy skin condition because the genes that help make your eyes blue may also protect you from vitiligo.

• Cataracts. An Australian study found that dark-eyed people have twice the risk of developing this common eye condition that causes a clouding of the lens of the eye. However, most people over the age of 65 will get cataracts eventually, no matter what their eye color.

• Sport skills. Interestingly, WebMD notes that dark-eyed people perform better at sports involving quick reactions, such as boxing, hitting a baseball, and defensive football. However, people with blue eyes are superior in more controlled sports such as golf, bowling and pitching a ball.

• Trustworthiness.  Researchers found that brown eyes promote trust. “We tested whether eye color influences perception of trustworthiness,” wrote the study authors. “Facial photographs of 40 female and 40 male students were rated for perceived trustworthiness. Eye color had a significant effect, the brown-eyed faces being perceived as more trustworthy than the blue-eyed ones.”