Why Do My Eyes Change From Blue To Green?
Posted by Eye Doctors of Washington in General Eye Care When someone wants to enhance their vision, they may try contact lenses or seek out LASIK eye surgery, But what if they want to change the color of their eyes? People have long been fascinated with eye color; after all, eyes come in a wide range of shades. The colored part of the eye is called the iris. The iris has pigmentation that determines the eye color. Irises are classified as being one of six colors: amber, blue, brown, gray, green, hazel, or red. Often confused with hazel eyes, amber eyes tend to be a solid golden or copper color without flecks of blue or green typical of hazel eyes. Blue eyes have a low level of pigment present in the iris. Recently, scientists announced that everyone with blue eyes is related! Because of various racial groups intermarrying, blue eyes, which are generally recessive, are becoming rarer and rarer. (Note: I recently asked my blue-eyed in-laws how they produced my amber-eyed spouse, incorrectly telling them it was genetically impossible. Brown is the most common eye color. Individuals with brown eyes have more melanin present, and over half of the people in the world have brown eyes. Gray eyes may be called “blue” at first glance, but they tend to have flecks of gold and brown. And they may appear to “change color” from gray to blue to green depending on clothing, lighting, and mood (which may change the size of the pupil, compressing the colors of the iris). Green is the least common eye color, but it is found most frequently in northern and central Europe. I have always incorrectly called this color eye hazel! Hazel eyes mostly consist of shades of brown and green. Much like gray eyes, hazel eyes may appear to “change color” from green to light brown to gold. Individuals whose eyes appear to be one color closest to the pupil, another color a little farther our, and another color around the edge of the iris are likely to have hazel eyes. Red eyes do exist. “Red?” you say. “Yes, red,” I say, although we often call them pink. Picture white bunnies with pink eyes. What you’re actually seeing in these rabbits and in albinos is the blood vessels behind the iris. Because there is so little melanin in the eyes, there is nothing to conceal the blood vessels hard at work. If you’re dissatisfied with your eye color for whatever reason, there are always colored contacts. Just be sure to get a prescription for them from your eye doctor at Eye Doctors of Washington, Don’t buy them online or borrow them from a friend—you’d just be begging for an eye infection. Contact Us
Why have my eyes changed from blue to green?
Changes in Pupil Size – Your pupils’ size can also cause your eyes to change color. When your pupils shrink or dilate, the color of your eyes may seem to change. For example, if your pupils widen, not as much of your irises are exposed, and the remaining irises look darker.
Can eyes go from blue to green?
Melanin – The other factor that determines baby eye color is melanin, the pigment that gives skin, hair and eyes their color. Melanin production starts the moment baby’s eyes see light for the first time after birth. “The most important reason why the eyes have different colors is how much pigment there is on the back part of the iris,” Jaafar says.
A baby who has a lot of melanin in the iris will have brown or very dark brown eyes, while a baby with a small amount of pigment will have blue or green eyes. The amount of melanin that’s added to baby’s eyes as she gets older influences eye color as well. “As they’re growing, some children pick up more and more pigment in the back of the iris.
The irises are going to become darker, so they’ll change from bright blue to a dark blue to green or even to hazel,” Jaafar says. “You may have two siblings who are born with the same color iris, but in one baby there’ll be significant pigment progression and that child will have hazel eyes, while the other sibling will have a slow progression and that child will end up with blue eyes.”
Is blue green eyes rare?
Most Common and Rarest Eye Colors – The conventional eye colors have generally been thought of as:
BrownBlueHazel (sometimes grouped with amber)Green
Of those four, green is the rarest. It shows up in about 9% of Americans but only 2% of the world’s population. Hazel/amber is the next rarest of these. Blue is the second most common and brown tops the list with 45% of the U.S. population and possibly almost 80% worldwide.
Why did my eye color change?
What Causes Eye Color to Change? Changes in eye color can be as captivating as they are concerning. By understanding what can cause eye colors to change, you can determine if what you’re experiencing is typical or if you should see a visionary eye doctor.
Here is a look at common causes of eye color changes. Natural Age-Related Eye Color Changes One of the most common situations that leads to changes in eye color occurs in children. When a baby is born, their eyes are usually lighter or bluer. Mainly, this is because a newborn hasn’t had sun exposure, so the melanin in their eyes isn’t fully developed.
As they are exposed to light, melanin production increases, causing the color of their eyes to shift. However, eye color changes can also occur as a person ages. Those with lighter color eyes – especially Caucasians – may see their eyes lighten over time.
The pigment slow degrades over time, resulting in less color. Other Situations Leading to Eye Color Changes Sun Exposure Since melanin plays a role in eye color, exposure to the sun can lead to eye color changes. Usually, it requires prolonged exposure and results in the irises darkening. Medical Treatments Some medications may alter eye color.
One prime example was a name-brand eyelash growth serum that was available by prescription. While the side effect was rare and usually required the drops to be applied to the eye – not the lash line, as it was meant to be used – a chemical in the serum could have the ability to impact eye pigments.
It’s also possible for other medications and surgeries to result in eye color changes. If that’s a potential side effect of a treatment, your eye care specialist will discuss it in advance. Nearby Colors In some cases, it may look like your eye color has changed when, in reality, your eyes are the same color.
Changes to the size of your pupils can cause your eye color to appear slightly different. Partially, this is because your limbal ring (the darker ring on the outside of the iris) is closer to the pupil’s edge. This can make your eye color appear darker because less of the iris is visible.
Additionally, other colors near your eyes may impact how your eye color is perceived. For example, your clothing, makeup, hair, and glasses frame color may all influence the apparent hue of your irises. However, most of that is an illusion. When a different color is near your eye, slight reflections of those shades might make your eye color seem different, even though it isn’t.
In a similar vein, changing the colors that are near your eyes may create more or less contrast than is usually there, making the hue seem stronger or weaker due to an adjustment in the comparison. Similarly, crying, allergies, or other activities that cause the sclera – the white part of the eye – to redden may make the irises seem slightly different.
- Again, this is because the area near the iris changed hues, not because the iris itself is a new color.
- Medical Conditions There are medical conditions that can lead to shifts in eye color.
- Heterochromia – a condition that causes a person to have two different colored irises or more than one color in a single iris – may result in color changes.
Horner’s syndrome may cause the eyes to lighten. Pigmentary glaucoma and Fuch’s heterochromic uveitis – an inflammatory condition – may also result in changes to the iris. The same goes for eye melanoma, a type of cancer. Consult a Reputable Eye Doctor The eye care specialists in Buffalo, NY at ECVA take the safety and health of our patients’ eyes seriously.
Why are hazel eyes so rare?
Why are hazel eyes so rare? – Only about 5 percent of the population worldwide has the hazel eye genetic mutation. After brown eyes, they have the most melanin., The combination of having less melanin (as with green eyes) and a lot of melanin (like brown eyes) make this eye color unique.
What causes hazel eyes?
Hazel – Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris’ anterior border layer. Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green.
This is why hazel eyes can be mistaken as amber and vice versa. The combination can sometimes produce a multicolored iris, i.e., an eye that is light brown/amber near the pupil and charcoal or dark green on the outer part of the iris (or vice versa) when observed in sunlight. Definitions of the eye color hazel vary: it is sometimes considered to be synonymous with light brown or gold, as in the color of a hazelnut shell.
Around 18% of the US population and 5% of the world population have hazel eyes.
Can eyes get more green with age?
Natural changes with age However, many of Caucasian heritage initially have blue or gray eyes. This color may darken over time, to become green, hazel, or brown.
Why did my eye color suddenly change?
Minor Changes Are Common – There is a possibility of minor changes in eye color as an adult. For example, long-term sun exposure may cause your eyes to darken slightly, while a small percentage of Caucasian people’s eyes lighten as they age. For the most part, though, your eye color will not actually change, and significant changes may be a sign of a larger problem. 
What causes sudden eye color change?
What Causes Eye Color to Change? Changes in eye color can be as captivating as they are concerning. By understanding what can cause eye colors to change, you can determine if what you’re experiencing is typical or if you should see a visionary eye doctor.
Here is a look at common causes of eye color changes. Natural Age-Related Eye Color Changes One of the most common situations that leads to changes in eye color occurs in children. When a baby is born, their eyes are usually lighter or bluer. Mainly, this is because a newborn hasn’t had sun exposure, so the melanin in their eyes isn’t fully developed.
As they are exposed to light, melanin production increases, causing the color of their eyes to shift. However, eye color changes can also occur as a person ages. Those with lighter color eyes – especially Caucasians – may see their eyes lighten over time.
- The pigment slow degrades over time, resulting in less color.
- Other Situations Leading to Eye Color Changes Sun Exposure Since melanin plays a role in eye color, exposure to the sun can lead to eye color changes.
- Usually, it requires prolonged exposure and results in the irises darkening.
- Medical Treatments Some medications may alter eye color.
One prime example was a name-brand eyelash growth serum that was available by prescription. While the side effect was rare and usually required the drops to be applied to the eye – not the lash line, as it was meant to be used – a chemical in the serum could have the ability to impact eye pigments.
It’s also possible for other medications and surgeries to result in eye color changes. If that’s a potential side effect of a treatment, your eye care specialist will discuss it in advance. Nearby Colors In some cases, it may look like your eye color has changed when, in reality, your eyes are the same color.
Changes to the size of your pupils can cause your eye color to appear slightly different. Partially, this is because your limbal ring (the darker ring on the outside of the iris) is closer to the pupil’s edge. This can make your eye color appear darker because less of the iris is visible.
Additionally, other colors near your eyes may impact how your eye color is perceived. For example, your clothing, makeup, hair, and glasses frame color may all influence the apparent hue of your irises. However, most of that is an illusion. When a different color is near your eye, slight reflections of those shades might make your eye color seem different, even though it isn’t.
In a similar vein, changing the colors that are near your eyes may create more or less contrast than is usually there, making the hue seem stronger or weaker due to an adjustment in the comparison. Similarly, crying, allergies, or other activities that cause the sclera – the white part of the eye – to redden may make the irises seem slightly different.
Again, this is because the area near the iris changed hues, not because the iris itself is a new color. Medical Conditions There are medical conditions that can lead to shifts in eye color. Heterochromia – a condition that causes a person to have two different colored irises or more than one color in a single iris – may result in color changes.
Horner’s syndrome may cause the eyes to lighten. Pigmentary glaucoma and Fuch’s heterochromic uveitis – an inflammatory condition – may also result in changes to the iris. The same goes for eye melanoma, a type of cancer. Consult a Reputable Eye Doctor The eye care specialists in Buffalo, NY at ECVA take the safety and health of our patients’ eyes seriously.