Different Eye Color

In rare cases, people with albinism may have a lack of pigmentation in their iris or will have a pinkish-white color. Some people are also born with two different eye colors, which is called heterochromia. One eye will be one color (such as brown), while another eye is a different color (such as blue). It is common for many people to be able to see several colors in their eyes at once (such as parts that look blue, while others look more green).

Depending on what you wear, your eyes may also appear to change shade to match what you are wearing. This is because the iris has 2 layers, both of which could have pigment. Depending on how much light there is and the diffraction it has in a person’s eyes, they may change pigment slightly. So, a person’s eyes may appear to change somewhat if they wear a certain color of clothing. You will never have pink or red eyes, or other colors because eye color is a reflection of how much melanin your eyes have mixed with how much light is refracted. We only get the colors that we have because of it.
 

Brown Eyes

Brown is the most common eye color worldwide. Many cultures of people pass on brown to their offspring, as the color brown is the most dominant as far as genetics go. Two parents with brown eyes are most likely to have children with brown eyes. If you receive the gene for brown eyes from one parent and blue from another, you would have brown eyes. People with brown eyes have a high amount of melanin (a pigment) in their front layers of the iris, making the iris a darker color. This melanin amount is also what determines eye color. If you have more melanin in your eyes, they will be darker. If you have less melanin, they will be lighter. Genetics will determine how much melanin you have in your eyes.
 

Blue and Green Eyes

Lighter eye colors such as green and blue eyes are more common among people with European ancestry. Eye color is determined largely by genetics, and whole cultures of people can have a dominant color of eyes. Brown eyes will dominate genes over lighter colors. However, if blue and green eyes run in your family or culture, these will be more common among the people. Although brown is the most dominant eye color, green is more dominant over blue when it comes to genetics. Many studies suggest that if you have blue eyes, you share a common ancestor with everyone else that has blue eyes (even if it’s very far down the line).
 

Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

Hazel and gray eyes are also possible in many people, but the cause of these eye colors aren’t fully known. Many babies are born with blue eyes, only to have them change after several months or years depending on how much melanin the body begins to store in the iris. For all your questions about your eyes, call Optical Masters at (720) 780-8881!