Eye color

Eye color is a polygenic trait and is determined primarily by the amount and type of pigments present in the eye's iris. Humans and animals have many phenotypic variations in eye color. In humans, these variations in color are attributed to varying ratios of eumelanin produced by melanocytes in the iris. The brightly colored eyes of many bird species are largely determined by other pigments, such as pteridines, purines, and carotenoids.

Three main elements within the iris contribute to its color: the melanin content of the iris pigment epithelium, the melanin content within the iris stroma, and the cellular density of the iris stroma. In eyes of all colors, the iris pigment epithelium contains the black pigment, eumelanin. Color variations among different irises are typically attributed to the melanin content within the iris stroma. The density of cells within the stroma affects how much light is absorbed by the underlying pigment epithelium.

Determination of eye color
Eye color is an inherited trait influenced by more than one gene. There are two major genes and other minor ones that account for the tremendous variation of human eye color. In humans, three loci associated with eye color are currently known: EYCL1, EYCL2, and EYCL3. These genes account for three phenotypic eye colors (brown, green, and blue) in humans. Eye color usually stabilizes when an infant is around 6 months old.

In 2006, the molecular basis of the EYCL3 locus was resolved. In a study of 3839 people, researchers reported that 74% of total variation in eye color was explained by a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the OCA2 gene. OCA2 was previously known because, when mutated, the gene can result in a type of albinism. The recent study showed that different SNPs strongly associate with blue and green eyes as well as variations in freckling, mole counts, hair and skin tone. The authors speculate that the SNPs may be in an OCA2 regulatory sequence and thus influence the expression of the gene product, which in turn affects pigmentation.

Classification of colors
Iris color can provide a large amount of information about an individual, and a classification of various colors may be useful in documenting pathological changes or determining how a person may respond to various ocular pharmaceuticals. Various classification systems have ranged from a basic "light" or "dark" description to detailed gradings employing photographic standards for comparison. Others have attempted to set objective standards of color comparison.

As the perception of color is dependent upon the conditions in which color is viewed (e.g. the amount and type of illumination, as well as the hue of the surrounding environment), so is the perception of eye color.

Eye color exists on a continuum from the darkest shades of brown to the lightest shades of blue. Seeing the need for a standardized classification system that was simple, yet detailed enough for research purposes, Seddon et. al developed a graded one based on the predominant iris color (brown, light brown, green, gray, and blue) and the amount of brown or yellow pigment present. There are 3 true colors in the eyes that determine the outward appearance; brown, yellow, and gray. How much of each color you have determines the appearance of the eye color. The color your eyes turn depends on how much of these colors are present. For example, green eyes have a lot of yellow and some brown, making them appear green. Blue eyes have a little yellow and little to no brown, making them appear blue. Gray eyes appear gray because they have a little yellow and no brown in them. Brown eyes appear brown because most of the eye contains the brown color. Brown is the most common, blue is second, and green is rarest.

Brown
In humans, brown eyes contain large amounts of melanin (eumelanin) within the iris stroma which serves to absorb light, particularly at the shorter wavelengths. Very dark brown irises may appear to be black. People with light brown or golden irises are sometimes said to have "whiskey eyes".

Brown is very predominant and, in many populations, it is (with few exceptions) the only iris color present. It is least common in the countries around the Baltic Sea.

Those with both European and non-European ancestry generally have dark eyes and more variability in eye color within their families. Inhabitants indigenous to Africa, Asia, and the Americas generally have brown eyes. Brown eyes are equally found in Europe, Oceania, and the Americas, though within some European populations they are not predominant to the same extent. Brown is considered to be the most dominant eye color in the world.

Hazel
Hazel eyes are due to a combination of a Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. A number of studies using three-point scales have assigned "hazel" to be the medium-color between light brown and dark green. This can sometimes produce a multicolored iris, i.e., an eye that is light brown near the pupil and charcoal or amber/dark green on the outer part of the iris when it is open to the elements of the sun/shined in the sunlight. Hazel is mostly found in the regions of Southern and Eastern Europe, Britain, and the Middle East.



There is some difficulty in defining the eye color "hazel" as it is sometimes considered to be synonymous with lightbrown and other times with dark green. They have been described as dark green or yellowish brown, or as a lighter shade of brown. Hazel eyes have also been described as being equivalent to a dark green or amber color eyes/light brown. In North America, "hazel" is often used to describe eyes that appear to change color, ranging from light brown to green and even blue, depending on current lighting in the environment.

Amber
Amber colored eyes are of a solid color and have a strong yellowish/golden and russet/coppery tint. This might be due to the deposition of the yellow pigment called "lipochrome" in the iris (which is also found in green and violet eyes). Amber eyes are much more common in other animals than they are in humans. They are also nicknamed "cat eyes", or, as in the case of light golden brown eyes, "whiskey".

The yellow eyes of some pigeons contain yellow fluorescing pigments known as pteridines. The bright yellow eyes of the Great Horned Owl are thought to be due to the presence of the pteridine pigment xanthopterin within certain chromatophores (called xanthophores) located in the iris stroma. In humans, yellow specks or patches are thought to be due to the pigment lipofuscin, also known as lipochrome.

Green
Green eyes are the product of moderate amounts of melanin.

They are most often found in people of Celtic, Germanic and Slavic descent, and to a slightly lesser extent, in Southern Europe as well as Southwest Asia. Deities in both Chinese and Greek mythology had green eyes, possibly because of their rarity. Green eyes are most often depicted with red and brown hair.

Blue
Blue eyes contain low amounts of melanin within the iris stroma; longer wavelengths of light tend to be absorbed by the underlying iris pigment epithelium and shorter wavelengths are reflected and undergo Rayleigh scattering. The type of melanin present is eumelanin. The inheritance pattern followed by blue eyes is thought to be similar to that of a recessive trait.

Blue eyes are relatively common throughout Europe and other areas with populations of European descent, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and some parts of West Asia. There are also populations in South and Central Asia that have rare natural occurances of blue eyes. Throughout the rest of the world they are rare. Blue eyes are most commonly depicted with blonde and red haired people.

Finland and Lithuania have the highest proportions of blue-eyed people; they are also very common in other countries around the Baltic Sea, such as Poland and Germany. One survey estimated that nearly 90% of Icelanders have blue or green eyes, in contrast to 20% of Spaniards and Italians of the north. A 2002 study found the prevalence of blue eye color among whites in the United States to be 33.8% for those born between 1936 and 1951 compared to 57.4% for those born between 1899 and 1905.

As melanin production generally increases during the first few years of life (especially if exposed to the sun), the blue eyes of some babies may darken as they get older.

Gray
Gray eyes are a variant of blue eyes and are sometimes very hard to tell apart. Usually, gray eyes are considered a darker shade of blue (like blue-green), where in fact they are lighter. Under magnification, gray eyes exhibit small amounts of yellow and brown color in the iris.



A gray iris may indicate the presence of a uveitis. However, other visual signs make a uveitis obvious.

Athena, in Greek mythology, was renowned for having "sea-gray" eyes.

Violet
The appearance of violet eyes is thought to occur due to the mixing of red and blue reflections. Some albinos have eyes that appear to be violet. Elizabeth Taylor is said to have "Violet Eyes" and this is sometimes referred to as a unique or distinguishing characteristic (or "trademark") of hers.

Aniridia
Aniridia is a congenital condition characterized by an extremely underdeveloped iris which appears absent on superficial examination. This can also cause blindness.

Ocular albinism and eye color
Normally, there is a thick layer of melanin on the back of the iris. Even people with the lightest blue eyes, with no melanin on the front of the iris at all, have dark brown coloration on the back of it, to prevent light from scattering around inside the eye. In those with milder forms of albinism, the color of the irises is typically blue, but can vary from blue to brown. In severe forms of albinism, there is no pigment on the back of the iris, and light from inside the eye can pass through the iris to the front. In these cases, the only color seen is the red from the hemoglobin of the blood in the capillaries of the iris. Such albinos have pink eyes, as do albino rabbits, mice, or any other animal with total lack of melanin. Transillumination defects can almost always be observed during an eye examination due to lack of iridial pigmentation. The ocular albino also lacks normal amounts of melanin in the retina as well, which allows more light than normal to reflect off the retina and out of the eye. Because of this, the pupillary reflex is much brighter in the albino, and this can increase the red eye effect in photographs. Edgar Winter's eyes are an example of this trait.

Heterochromia


Heterochromia (also known as a heterochromia iridis or heterochromia iridium) is an ocular condition in which one iris is a different color from the other iris (complete heterochromia), or where the part of one iris is a different color from the remainder (partial heterochromia or sectoral heterochromia). It is a result of the relative excess or lack of pigment within an iris or part of an iris, which may be inherited or acquired by disease or injury. This uncommon condition usually results due to uneven melanin content. A number of causes are responsible, including genetics such as chimerism and Waardenburg syndrome. Trauma and certain medications, such as latanoprost can also cause increased or decreased pigmentation in one eye. On occasion the condition of having two different colored eyes is caused by blood staining the iris after sustaining injury.

Actress Kate Bosworth has one blue eye and one brown eye. Lead singer Tim McIlrath of Rise Against has one brown eye and one blue eye. Actress Jane Seymour has one brown eye and one green eye. Actress Demi Moore has one green eye and one hazel eye. Actress Mila Kunis has one blue eye and the other has a tint of green.

Contrary to popular belief, David Bowie does not have heterochromia. When he was young, Bowie was punched in the left eye by a classmate wearing a ring. This injury caused the pupil of his eye to remain dilated, commonly being mistaken for a differing iris color.

Eye color change
Often, newborns have blue eyes, which change to green, hazel, light brown or dark brown, as they grow older. It is thought that exposure to light after birth triggers the production of melanin in the iris of the eye. By three years of age, the eyes produce and store enough melanin to indicate their natural shade. While changes in eye color of infants are more common, even in adults, eye color changes are seen, most often as a result of exposure to the sun. Sunlight triggers melanin production in the eye, as it does to the skin. People with green eyes in the winter might develop darker, more hazel eyes if they spend more time outdoors.

Eyedrops containing a prostaglandin analogue (such as latanoprost) may result in a permanently darkened iris; these eyedrops are commonly used to treat open-angle glaucoma.

Medical implications
Those with lighter iris color have been found to have a higher prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) than those with darker iris color; lighter eye color is also associated with an increased risk of ARMD progression. An increased risk of uveal melanoma has been found in those with blue or gray iris color.