Is there gray eyes? Human eye color: meaning and change in eye color, eyes of different colors

The main individual feature of the eyes of each person is their color. As you can see in the photo, their shade can be very different. The specific color depends directly on the amount of melanin in the iris, as well as how exactly it is distributed over the shell.

In general, the iris is individual, as well as fingerprints. But its color is largely determined by heredity. At the same time, of course, the formation continues throughout the first and second years of a child's life. In addition, racial characteristics and place of residence should be taken into account, although this does not mean that there are no exceptions.

The meaning of shades - is everything so simple?

There are many literary and poetic characteristics of the eye. The most common claims that they are the mirror of the soul. Psychologists have gone further - in their opinion, the color of the iris can easily determine the main features of a person's character. Although scientific confirmation of this has not yet been received. At least, mental and physical abilities are in no way tied to the shade of the iris. Therefore, in this case, it is customary to operate with more vague concepts.

What psychologists say

However, one should not focus only on modern psychologists. The ancient sages also drew attention to the relationship between the shade of the iris and some personal characteristics. In particular, the same Aristotle noted that, for example. Choleric people are more likely to have brown and green eyes, melancholic people will most often have irises of dark gray shades, and phlegmatic people will have blue ones.

In the studies of modern experts, it is said that a person whose iris has a dark shade has stronger immunity than one whose iris is lighter.

In addition, the following personality characteristics are usually determined by the color of the iris of the eyes:

- isolation;

- constancy;

- openness;

- decisiveness and much more.

How many real eye colors are there

Have you ever wondered how many shades of the irises really exist? Scientists, ophthalmologists and just specialists in this topic note eight primary colors that are characteristic of human eyes. As mentioned above, it depends on the special pigment melanin. Let's look at what shades are found in nature and are officially recognized by scientists. Below are all the colors of the iris that are found in humans:

• blue;

• blue;

• grey;

• green;

• amber;

• marsh;

• brown;

• black.

How a particular shade is formed

Now let's take a closer look at how exactly one or another shade of the iris is formed, illustrating the description of the photo.

It may seem strange to someone, but the blue tint actually does not contain a pigment of such a coloring. It is formed by a special scattering of rays passing through the iris, inside which melanin is concentrated.

The blue hue is formed by the density of the fibers of the iris. Although, as experts in this matter note, the blue tint is directly a mutation in the genetic code that occurred at least five thousand years ago, mainly in the northern part of Europe.

Obtaining gray eyes occurred in almost the same way as blue. Only in this case, the density of the fibers of the iris is even stronger, resulting in blue becoming gray. This shade is typical for people living not only in the northern, but also in the eastern European regions.

But the green color of the eyes is characteristic of a person living in the central regions of the Old World. Sometimes, it is found in people from the South. The essence of the appearance of this shade lies in the smaller amount of melanin in the iris than in the formation of other colors. In particular, we are talking about yellow and brown pigment, the mixing of which leads to the formation of green.

It is very rare to see eyes that have an amber tint. Very beautiful, as seen in the photo. A person with a similar coloring of the organs of vision is almost unique.

The marsh shade is formed by mixing individual colors and, which is typical for such eyes, varies slightly with the level of lighting. Also a very rare option.

But brown eyes are the most common. People with this type of iris can easily be found anywhere in the world, regardless of their racial and national origin.

As you can see in the photo, the black iris remotely resembles a brown color. The only difference is that the light passing through the melanin is not scattered, but absorbed, since the amount of pigment is simply unrealistic.

mystery gene

rare eye colors

Color geography

Heterochromia

The psychology of color

Perception by others

There are no two people in the world with exactly the same eye color. All children have eyes that are dull blue at birth due to the lack of melanin, but in the future they acquire one of the few shades that will remain a person for life.

mystery gene

As early as the end of the 19th century, there was a hypothesis that human ancestors had exceptionally dark eyes. Hans Eiberg, a contemporary Danish scientist at the University of Copenhagen, has carried out scientific studies confirming and developing this idea. According to research results, the OSA2 gene responsible for light eye shades, whose mutations turn off the standard color, appeared only in the Mesolithic period (10,000-6,000 BC). Hans has been collecting evidence since 1996 and concluded that OCA2 regulates the production of melanin in the body, and any changes in the gene reduce this ability and disrupt its functioning, making the eyes blue. The professor also claims that all the blue-eyed inhabitants of the Earth have common ancestors, tk. this gene is inherited.

However, different forms of the same gene, alleles, are always in a state of competition, and the darker color always “wins”, as a result of which parents with blue and brown eyes will have brown-eyed children, and only a blue-eyed couple can have a baby with cold eyes.

rare eye colors

There are only about 2% of truly green-eyed people in the world, and most of them live in the northern countries of Europe. On the territory of Russia, uneven green shades of the eyes are often found, with an admixture of brown or gray pigment. Also an incredible exception are black eyes, although they are much more common than others. The iris of such eyes is characterized by a high concentration of melanin, which almost completely absorbs light. Many people believe that red eyes are inherent in all albinos, although in reality this is the exception rather than the rule (most albinos have brown or blue eyes). Red eyes are the result of a lack of melanin in the ectodermal and mesodermal layers, when blood vessels and collagen fibers “shine through”, determining the color of the iris. A very rare color is a variety of the most common - we are talking about amber, sometimes yellow eyes.

This color appears as a result of the presence of the pigment lipochrome, which is also found in green-eyed people. This rare eye color is found in some animal species such as wolves, cats, owls and eagles.

Color geography

Professor Eiberg suggested the geographic coordinates where the mutational processes of the "blue-eyed" gene began. According to the scientist, it all began, oddly enough, in the northern regions of Afghanistan, between India and the Middle East. During the Mesolithic period, the Aryan tribes were located here. By the way, the division of the languages ​​of the Indo-European group also belongs to this period. At the moment, the most common eye color in the world is brown, with the exception of the Baltic countries. Blue and blue eyes are the most common among the European population.

For example, in Germany, 75% of the population can boast of such eyes, and in Estonia, all 99%. Blue and blue eyes are common among the population of Europe, especially in the Baltic states and Northern Europe, often found in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran). Among Ukrainian Jews, 53.7% have this eye color. Gray eye color is common in Eastern and Northern Europe, and in Russia there are about 50% of carriers of this color. Brown-eyed residents in our country are about 25%, blue-eyed of various shades - 20%, but carriers of rare green and dark, almost black color in total make up no more than 5% of Russians.

Heterochromia

This amazing phenomenon is expressed in the different color of the eyes of one person or animal. Most often, heterochromia is genetically determined. For example, breeders and breeders intentionally breed cats and dogs with different eye colors. In humans, there are three types of this feature: complete, central and sectoral heterochromia. According to the names, in the first case, both eyes have their own, often contrasting shade. The most common color of one eye is brown and the other is blue. Central heterochromia is characterized by the presence of several full-fledged colored rings of the iris of one eye. Sector heterochromia - uneven color of one eye in several shades. There are three separate pigments that characterize eye color - blue, brown and yellow, the number of which forms the mysterious shades in heterochromia, which occurs in about 10 out of 1000 people.

The psychology of color

Professor Joan Rob from Lowville University, USA, argues that blue-eyed people are more prone to strategic thinking and play golf better, while brown-eyed people have a good memory, are very reasonable and temperamental.

Astrologers and psychologists like to mention the relationship between eye color and a person’s character. Most often they say, for example, that blue-eyed people are persistent and sentimental, but they can be arrogant. The gray-eyed are smart, but powerless in matters that require a sensual approach, while the green-eyed, for example, are gentle and, at the same time, are too principled. Such conclusions are not always based on statistical studies and surveys. There is also a rational scientific grain here. For example, scientists have discovered the PAX6 gene, which plays a major role in iris pigmentation and personality type. It is involved in the development of the part of the frontal lobe that is responsible for empathy and self-control. Thus, it can be argued that the character of a person and the color of his eyes are biologically interconnected, but research in this area is still not enough to consider such statements scientific.

Perception by others

In the United States, a study was conducted with the participation of a thousand women from 16 to 35 years old. Its results are quite interesting: blue and gray eyes give the owner the image of a “sweet” (42%) and kind (10%) person, green eyes are associated with sexuality (29%) and cunning (20%), and brown eyes with a developed intellect ( 34%) and kindness (13%).

Researchers at Charles University in Prague conducted an unusual experiment to find out the degree of trust in people depending on the color of their eyes. The largest percentage of participants recognized the brown-eyed people in the photo as more trustworthy. During the experiment, scientists showed new photographs in which they changed the color of the eyes of the same people, as a result of which curious conclusions were drawn. It turned out that the facial features inherent in brown-eyed people rather than the eye color itself, as such, evokes trust. For example, brown-eyed men are more likely to have raised corners of the lips, a wide chin and large eyes, while blue-eyed men have a narrow mouth, small eyes and lowered corners of the lips. Brown-eyed women appear to be considered more reliable, although statistically this is less pronounced than in the case of dark-eyed men.

We all know from childhood that the eyes are blue, blue, green, gray and brown. These are the primary colors, and we are well aware of which color group our eyes belong to. Light eyes, such as gray and blue, can look different in different lighting conditions. They can look blue, azure, and blue-gray, and all because they reflect the surrounding colored things, which can make them seem to change color. But we will not talk about gray eyes, but about shades of brown eyes, which, as it turned out, there are many. Today you will find out exactly what your shade of brown eyes is called.

Shades of brown eyes

Why are the eyes different colors? What kind of mystery of nature is this?

Eye color is determined by the pigmentation of the iris. Also, the color of the eyes depends on the vessels and fibers of the iris. Pure brown eyes contain a lot of melanin in the outer layer of the iris, which is why the eye absorbs both high-frequency and low-frequency light. All reflected light adds up to brown. But brown eyes are very different, greenish or yellowish, dark or light, and even black. So what is the name of each eye color?

hazel eyes

Hazel eyes are brown eyes with a green tint. This is a mixed eye color, very often it is also called swamp.

You will not find two identical eyes in nature, because each eye is truly unique. Hazel eyes can be brown, golden, or brown-green. The melanin content in hazel eyes is quite moderate, so this shade is obtained as a combination of brown and blue. It is possible to distinguish hazel eyes from amber ones by heterogeneous coloring.

amber eyes

Amber - yellow-brown eyes. Agree, the name of this eye shade sounds just fine. Such eyes are really very reminiscent of amber in their color. The amber shade of the eyes is obtained due to the pigment lipofuscin. Some people confuse amber and hazel eyes, although they are quite different. In amber eyes, you will not see a green tint, but only brown and yellow.

Yellow eyes

A very rare eye color is a yellow tint. As in amber eyes, in the case of yellow eyes, the vessels of the iris contain the pigment lipofuscin, but are very pale in color. Most often, yellow eyes can be found in people with various kidney diseases.

Brown eyes

As mentioned above, brown eyes contain a lot of melanin, which is why they absorb high and low frequency light. This is the most common eye color in the world.

Light brown eyes

Light brown eyes don't have as much melanin as dark brown eyes, which is why they look lighter.

Black eyes

But in black eyes, the concentration of melanin is very high, so they absorb light, but practically do not reflect it. Very deep and beautiful color.

What color are your eyes?

It is very interesting to know what eye color depends on. After all, the variety of colors of human eyes is amazing and makes you wonder how it arose in nature.
What is commonly called "eye color" is nothing more than the color of the iris, the pigment cells contained in it give the eye color: more pigment - darker color and vice versa.

What determines eye color and what factors affect it

What determines the color of a person's eyes?

Albinos lack melanin, so their eyes look reddish (blood vessels show through the translucent iris).

Scientists have found that people have different densities of the fibers that make up the iris.

This feature also affects the color of the eye. The denser the fibers that form the iris, the lighter its shade. The back layer of the iris is always dark, even in light-eyed people.

The blue color of the eyes is due to the low content of melanin and the low density of the fibers of the iris.

Blue eyes mean that the fibers that make up the iris are denser. Their color may be close to white or gray.

In gray eyes, the fibers in the iris are even denser than in previous cases. The gray-blue tint of the eyes is formed due to the fact that this density is slightly less high.

The green color of the eyes means that the amount of melanin in the iris of their owner is small. It is known that green is formed by mixing blue and yellow. The pigment lipofuscin just has a yellow color and, superimposed on melanin, gives the eye a green color.

An amber or golden color is also formed due to the high content of the yellow pigment lipofuscin in the iris.

Brown and black color are obtained due to the high content of melanin in the iris. Black-eyed people have so much of it that the iris completely absorbs the color falling on it.

The color of the iris is acquired by the child from the father and mother, and the genetics of the eye color is difficult to predict. There are thousands of color combinations for children and parents.

From school textbooks, we all remember that the genes responsible for the dark color are dominant. The traits that they determine always "win" over those traits that are encoded by the genes responsible for the light shade.

However, all this does not mean that brown-eyed men and women will necessarily have brown-eyed children. Such a couple may also have a blue-eyed child, if one of the grandparents has a different eye color. A baby can get a recessive gene from one of the parents.

Eye color perception

The eye can be compared to a camera, because it also has its own light-sensitive layer - the retina. Nerve cells in the retina perceive the reflected light and transmit sensations to the brain.

In the human mind, an image of the surrounding world arises due to the processing of signals supplied to the brain by eye cells - rods and cones. The former are included in the work at dusk, the latter are responsible for the perception of color.

For a person there is no objective and pure perception of color. This process is not only physical, but also psychological. Perception is always influenced by various factors: the background, the environment, the shape of the object. For example, if a yellow object is placed on an orange background, it will appear colder, greenish.

Under different lighting conditions, a blue object may appear either black or purple. In the dark, all objects appear black.

Thus, the color of things is not a permanent and inalienable property of them, like, for example, shape and weight. In addition, individual characteristics of a person affect the perception of color: age, eye health, emotional state.

It is almost impossible to see the color of an object in its “pure” form, but the most “correct” idea of ​​color can be obtained by looking at the object in daylight, without bright sun.

Dependence on blood type

From the moment mankind became aware of the existence of blood groups, people have been wondering if there is a connection between the blood type and other characteristics of a person (appearance, health, character).

You may have come across statements that among the carriers of the first and second blood groups, there are most blue-eyed blondes, representatives of the third group are swarthy and black-eyed, and the fourth group is mixed.

Such hypotheses have not received scientific confirmation. The fact is that the genes that determine the blood group and the genes responsible for eye color are not related, they are on different chromosomes. They cannot interlock with each other in the process of inheritance.

In addition, the possession of a certain blood type does not directly depend on belonging to a race or ethnic group, although blood groups are indeed unevenly distributed among different nationalities.

For example, 8 out of 10 American Indians have the first type of blood, and the inhabitants of the northern part of Europe most often have the second type.

However, there are no distinguishing external features in people with a particular blood type or Rh factor. Therefore, it is impossible to predict eye color based on a person's blood type. You cannot even calculate the probability that a person with a particular eye color will have a certain blood type.

The influence of a person's nationality

We easily notice a person of a different nationality due to special features of appearance, and eye color is not the last in the list of such features. Most of the world's population has dark skin and black or brown eyes.

The appearance of Europeans is very diverse: they can be with blue eyes, brown, green, and the inhabitants of northern and eastern Europe are lighter on average.

The most rare eye color is green, only 2% of people have green eyes. Green-eyed people are found among Western Slavs, as well as some Eastern peoples.

Quite a lot of them among the Germans and Swedes. By the way, there are unusually many green-eyed and blue-eyed people in Iceland - 80% of the population. In Turkey, only 20% of green-eyed people.

The most common eye color on Earth is brown, because its carriers are the vast majority of the inhabitants of India and China. The prevalence of brown color is also explained by the fact that this is the most “useful” color of the iris: dark eyes are not afraid of the bright sun. The peoples of the north, who have to watch the blinding glare of snow, also have dark eyes.

About half of Russians have gray eyes and brown, blue and blue are less common (about 20%). In the northern part of the country, a gray-green eye color is common.

Video

Color change options

The color of the eyes of adults can change under the influence of a variety of factors. There is even such a thing as "chameleon eyes". Their color is difficult to determine, as it constantly changes under the influence of lighting and furnishings.

There are several reasons why a person's eye color changes:

1. Age changes. It has been noticed that eye color can change both in childhood (up to two or three years it is unstable) and in old age. In older people, the pigment begins to be produced in a smaller volume, the eyes may become slightly lighter. For some, they, on the contrary, darken due to the fact that the iris loses its transparency.
2. Time of day changes. The eyes change their color during the day. Of course, this phenomenon has nothing to do with pigmentation, it's a matter of our perception of color, which can be influenced by lighting and environment. In addition, in response to bright light, the pupil constricts and the eye appears brighter. In the dark, the icon expands and even bright eyes can appear almost black.
3. After tears. It can be noticed that after prolonged sobbing, a person acquires not only a red face, but also a brighter than usual eye color. Most likely, such changes are due to the fact that the eye receives good hydration, the protein becomes lighter, and the iris stands out more against its background.
4. Disease. In some diseases (glaucoma, Horner's syndrome, Fuchs' dystrophy), changes in eye color can be observed.

Basic color options

A few decades ago, it was impossible to change the color of the eyes given by nature. To date, several ways have been invented to change the color of the iris.

If you are unhappy with the color of your eyes, want to experiment with your image, or want to eliminate a defect such as heterochromia, you have such an opportunity.

Laser eye color correction

Laser technology for changing eye color was developed by California doctor Greg Homer. The doctor has been working on his invention for ten years, and now twenty seconds are enough to change your eye color forever.

By the way, this procedure is irreversible. If you changed your brown color of the iris to green, it will no longer be possible to return your native brown.

The essence of the procedure is that the laser beam destroys the thin pigment layer of the eye. The cost of such an operation will be about five thousand dollars, and the possible side effects have not yet been sufficiently studied. Ophthalmologists warn that this procedure can cause vision problems.

Artificial iris implantation

This is an invention of the American surgeon Kenneth Rosenthal. He developed a technology for changing the color of the eyes by installing silicone implants in the cornea. This procedure can also be hazardous to health.

The first two months after the operation will be spent on restoring vision, and in the future, the chances of developing such serious diseases as cataracts, glaucoma, and corneal detachment sharply increase. If you decide to change your eye color in this way, you run the risk of permanent blindness.

Rosenthal himself did not initially plan that the procedure he invented would be used for everyone. His task was to treat congenital eye defects. However, some private US clinics have adopted this method and are actively using it.

Special eye drops

A darker shade of the eyes can be obtained if certain types of eye drops are used for a long time. These drops contain an analogue of the hormone prostaglandin F2a, which can affect the color of the iris.

This method of changing the color of the eyes, again, can be harmful to health, as it involves the use of medications not prescribed by a doctor. With regular use of eye drops, the nutrition of the eyeball is disrupted.

Contact lenses

This is the most popular, inexpensive and safe way to change eye color. However, it will not be superfluous to still seek advice from an ophthalmologist who will help you choose lenses according to the characteristics of your eyes and your vision.

Lenses are tinted and colored. The former change the color of the eyes slightly, the latter will help to change it radically.


If you have light-colored eyes, any kind of colored contact lenses will work, but dark-eyed people will have a little more difficulty, because tinted lenses will not be visible on dark eyes. Also, when purchasing tinted lenses, keep in mind that your original eye color will mix with the lens color and create a new tint.

Well-chosen makeup

Slightly change the color of the eyes can and properly selected make-up. Using contrasting shades of eye shadow, you can emphasize the natural color of the eyes, make it brighter and more saturated.

Cool shades of eye shadow will suit brown eyes, warm shades will suit blue eyes, and gray eyes can be made slightly green or blue with the help of appropriate shades of eye shadow.

Causes of heterochromia

Unusually look people whose eyes are of different colors. Heterochromia is the name given to the phenomenon in which differences in eye color are observed. There are two varieties of this mutation: complete (the irises of the left and right eyes have a different color) and partial (colored spots or colored areas on the iris of one eye).

This feature is found not only in humans, but also in many species of animals. For example, there are many “odd-eyed” among cats, among husky dogs, as well as horses and cows. Usually it is combined with a piebald or marble color. In humans, heterochromia is much less common than in animals (10 cases out of 1000).

Heterochromia does not affect health and vision in any way. This is just an abnormal pigmentation of the eye, associated with an excess or lack of melanin. Most often, this feature is inherited from parents, but in rare cases it can be the result of injury or disease. For some reason, heterochromia is more common in women than in men.

If heterochromia is not caused by a disease or damage to the eye, it does not need treatment, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to change the color of the eyes forever. It is possible to hide heterochromia with contact lenses, but this is usually not necessary. People with eyes of different colors are considered by many to be pretty, so their feature is perceived not as ugliness, but as a kind of "highlight".

It is worth noting that heterochromia is gradually coming into fashion. Someone creates such a “mutation” artificially for himself by putting on lenses, and teenagers often wonder how to get heterochromia.

Eye color formation

It has been observed that most newborns have light eye color. The fact is that melanin occurs in the body under the influence of light. Since there is no light in the mother's womb, melanin is not yet released in the child's body. Only after birth, the amount of melanin in the baby's eyes will gradually accumulate.

What determines the color of a child's eyes?

It is possible to determine the future eye color of a child using special plates that are published in magazines and social networks. It is impossible to predict it with absolute certainty, because not only mom and dad, but also grandparents make their contribution to the color of the baby's eyes.

There is no such specialist who could satisfy the curiosity of parents and determine in advance what the color of the eyes of an adult crumb will be.

baby color change

Parents eagerly wait for the moment when their baby's "final" eye color is established and argue about which of the relatives he was transmitted from.

In the early days, the shade of the baby's eyes is still too early to compare with the parent, heredity will manifest itself a little later. Most babies are born with light blue or light green eyes, and their color may change during the first years of life.

On average, the first changes occur at about three months of age. A gray-eyed baby can eventually become green-eyed, and then brown-eyed. In some babies, eye color changes a few months after birth, and six months later, and a year.

Only at the age of two or three years does the baby acquire a “settled” eye color. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule - in some children, a permanent eye color is established already in the first months of life. Usually these are swarthy and dark-eyed babies. It also happens that the baby is born already with dark eyes.

It is also worth noting that the baby's iris cannot become lighter over time, only darker. After two or three years, the color of the eyes of a healthy little person cannot change dramatically, but small changes in their shade sometimes occur.

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