Why is it that people get "red eye" in pictures, but dogs get "green eye"?

1. 71

   Mmargie1966posted 12 years ago

   Why is it that people get "red eye" in pictures, but dogs get "green eye"?
   
   

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2. 94

   Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

   Awe, what a cute picture!! What kind of dog is it? It looks just like my puppy!
   
   Both dogs and cats have this green reflection. In a human the "red eye" that you see is a reflection of the retina in the back of the eye, and is know to those of us in ophthalmology as a red reflex. It only occurs when the eye is dilated, which is why red eye reduction on a camera works. It's a flash setting that flickers and gives the eye about 3 seconds to constrict thereby hiding the retina and it's reflex prior to snapping the shot.
   
   In a dog (and cat), there is a layer behind the retina called the tapetum. This layer is reflective allowing the dog to see in lower light conditions much better than humans and is typically yellow, blue or green in color. When you take a picture of a dog, their eye is dilated as well, and the tapetum reflects back at you causing a green, sometimes bluish glow. A dog's iris doesn't constrict as quickly as a human's, so red eye reduction often doesn't work on animals.

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   1. 71

      Mmargie1966posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wow!  Thank you so much for the answer!
      
      This dog is about a year or so old.  She is 1/2 pitbull, 1/4 shepherd an 1/4 lab.  She has the webbed paws of the lab (and is a great swimmer), the shepherd moles, and the pit body.
      
      She is the sweetest dog an

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      wetnosedogsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i don't know the answer, but looks like you got your answers. I just wanted to say that's an adorable dog.

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      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Awe, that's what we think out dog is, they look almost identical! You're quite welcome for the info, I love eyes, and it doesn't matter who or what they belong too! lol Our dog, Sekhmet, has the same beautiful green glow in pictures. I love it!

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   Nettlemereposted 12 years ago

   I agree with D of M it is the lack of tapetum in human eyes that causes them to be red rather then reflect the light back out. cats or dogs with blue eyes can have red eye and reflection from flash. There's a cool picture of a cat with one blue eye one not on the wikki page here showing the two different effects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapetum_lucidum

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   1. 94

      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Interestingly, the one cat with two different reflexes; the reflex of cats is based on coat color. Those with light coats (and eyes) have less or no tapetum, hence no green glow in the one eye. I have 2 white cats with blue irises & no green glow

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   libby1970posted 12 years ago

   Beautiful dog! Someone else has already answered your question so I just wanted to so my dog is a full boxer and your dog looks a lot like him. One thing different is my dog has the jaws that droop...and my dog is bigger but other than that he looks like his twin!!!

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5. 61

   DeanCashposted 12 years ago

   This is because the light of the flash is reflecting from the retina, which is covered with tiny blood vessels. The more open the pupils are, the more red eye effect you get in your photos. Animals have a reflective layer in the back of their eyes behind the retina called the tapetum. This layer enhances their night vision. The colour of the tapetum gives you blue, green, yellow, or white eye effect. With animals, the effect can have place even when the ambient light is sufficient to prevent it in humans. The color of the eyes in the picture also depends on the angle at which you take a photo. Taking pictures of the same animal from different positions of your camera may produce different results: Yellow or green eyes are ok in pets photos, but if you see this in photos of humans, it may indicate a serious problem.

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