Eye Facts - Eye Color |

In a very simplistic way, the color of your eyes depends on your genes, which you inherit from your parents. Eye color comes from a combination of a black and a yellow pigment called melanin in the iris of your eye. An increasing proportion of the yellow melanin, in combination with the black melanin, results in shades of colors between brown and blue, including green and hazel.

As a result of inter marriage between races there are many base eye colors .

Grey – a variation of blue but considered more dominant

Hazel – a medium brown which sometimes appears to be changing, particularly when the light catches it or different colored clothing is worn

Brown – contain large amount of pigment which can sometimes appear to be black and is the most dominant of eye colors. Brown eyed people generally have brown or black hair.

Blue – contain no melanin in the front part of the iris. Found in European or areas populated by people of European descent, such as Canada, The USA or Australia. 8% of the worlds population has blue eyes

Green – most commonly found in Germanic, Slavic or Celtic descent.Amber / yellow – more commonly found in animals and known commonly as cats eyes

Albino – lack of brown pigment lets the red color of blood cells show through.

Eyes can change color due to age or disease – most usually fading but sometimes darkening. If you notice your eyes losing color its time to visit your doctor.

Babies eyes change from blue to their natural color by the age of three. This is due to exposure to light which triggers the production of melanin in the iris.

Some people have one brown eye and one green eye. This abnormality can be caused by either a trauma in the womb, faulty developmental pigment transport or a benign genetic disorder.

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