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Why are some eyes different colors? What determines our eye color? Read on to find out!
A person’s eyes are one of the most interesting and complex parts of our human body. Not only do our eyes help us to see the world around us, but they also are one of the most defining, unique characteristics that we have! For instance, most people say that a person’s eyes are one of the first qualities that they see when they first meet, and it is often their distinctive color or shape that people remember once the meeting has ended.
However, when it comes to the color of our eyes, is there more that lies behind those baby blues, rather just a unique color for appearances sake? Of course! The color of our eyes is determined by a number of amazing factors, and there is a lot more than meets the eye (pun intended) when it comes to their color. To help you learn more, here are some of our favorite interesting fact about the color of our eyes.
1. The colored part of our eyeball is called the iris, and the color is determined by the pigments (known as melanin) that are located in the iris’ cells. However, our iris does a lot more than just show color! It also regulates how much light enters our eyes and it helps to protect our internal organs from the dangers of UV light.
2. How much melanin is in our iris’ cells determines what color our eyes will be. For instance, a lot of melanin in the stroma will give someone darker eyes, such as brown. However, very little melanin in the stroma will result in lighter eyes, such as light blue.
3. Babies are typically born with little to no melanin, which is why they often have blue eyes at birth. It isn’t until the melanocyte stroma cells in the iris begin to produce more melanin anywhere between 6 to 36 months that the color will begin to change.
4. Scientists have determined that no single gene determines a person’s eye color, which was not always historically thought. In the past, brown eyes were thought to be dominant over other colors, such as blue or green. However, many modern studies have shown that eye color is actually a multi-gene trait, not a single-gene trait.
5. There are many possibilities of eye color on the eye spectrum. While many people think that eye colors are often simply just blue, green or brown, there are actually a multitude of colors that fall on a large spectrum. This covers all colors from the very lightest blue, to the deepest, darkest shade of brown.
6. Brown eyes are the most common in people, while green eyes are considered the most rare. Blue or grey eyes fall in the middle. However, they are more common in Northern Europe where UV radiation is not as strong.
7. People who are albino and have red eyes do so because they have almost no melanin. Therefore, their irises are totally clear. However, because we can see their blood vessels through their iris, their eyes will often appear pink or red.
8. Certain Glaucoma drops can cause blue or green eyes to turn brown.
Did you know all of these fascinating facts about eye color, or did we miss one of your favorite vision color facts? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Research: Source
