By Camila Garcia
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It’s not an uncommon thing to have wondered before if your eyes are capable of changing color. At some point or another, we’ve all wanted to have different eyes just to see what they’d look like. And as crazy as it may sound, eyes can absolutely change color! How does this happen? Let’s start with the basics.
First of all, the iris is a muscle in the eye that gives it its color. With light, the iris can either expand or contract in order to control pupil size. The pupil shrinks when exposed to bright light, whereas it grows in dimmer lighting. When the pupil changes size, the pigments in the iris either compress or spread apart, which causes a slight change in perceived eye color.
However, light is not the only reason whyyour eyes can change color. There are other factors than can make your eyes lighter or darker.
- Age
Babies are usually born with light blue or grayeyes, yet as they grow, their eyes often get darker. This is because eye color is determined by your genes and the melanin level on your body. As you grow up, the melanin level increases around your pupil, making the eye darker. However, 10-15% of Caucasian eyes change to a lighter color as they age, as pigment in the iris changes or degrades. - Exposure to the sun
Melanin production can be activated through solar exposure, meaning that a prolonged time exposure to the sun could make your eyes darker. - Emotions
Certain emotions can change the size of your pupil and the iris color. When you are happy, angry, or sad, your body releases a hormone that makes your pupil size change. When you’re happy or angry, your eyes usually become more vibrant, while when you cry, your eyes obtain a reddish color, making your eyes appear brighter. - Clothing and makeup
Darker clothes as well as some color makeup on your eyelids, or white eyeliner, are all things that can make your eyes look more vibrant and brighter. This is just a matter of perception, not reality, but your eyes will definitely pop a bit more than usual!
- Your diet
They say you are what you eat, and for the eyes this is entirely true! The type of diet you keep will influence your eye color. Here are some of the foods that change your eye color if consumed often:
Spinach: It’s richness in iron will make your eyes look younger and shine brighter!
Organic honey: Regular consumption of honey could make your eye hue lighter and brighter.
Fish: Consuming fish can increase your eye color strength and depending on the consumption, this changes could be permanent.
Olive oil: Many people believe that adding olive oil to your diet could change the shade of your eyes.
Onions: Regular intake of onion has shown gradual changes in eye and skin color.
Nuts: Add different nuts to your diet and your eyes could gradually get a lighter color.
*Note: Roasted nuts won’t affect your eyes since their nutrients (what might change your eye color) have already been destroyed by exposing them to high temperatures.
Chamomile &Uva Ursi tea: eyes relax and pupil size changes, making the eye appear a different color (usually a warmer shade).
- Your health
Your eye color can also change to a yellowish or greenish shade when you are unwell or if you have an eye disease such as:Horner’s Syndrome: A complication with the third cranial nerve. This disease could make the affected eye(s) change to a lighter color.
Fuch’s Heterochromic Uveitis: A chronic mild inflammation of the front section of the eye.
Pigmentary Glaucoma: In this type of glaucoma, the pigment on the back of the iris is disrupted and the loose pigment granules collect on the back of the cornea. This loose pigment could also collect on the front of the iris, changing the color. Medication for glaucoma could also affect the color of the eyes.
There are many reasons why your eyes may at least appear to change color. In certain cases, like eye disease and changes in your diet, your eye color may truly change. However, many times it is only a matter of perspective and elements that can reflect into your eyes, tricking the mind of those looking at you into thinking your eyes just changed into a different shade.The best thing to do when your eyes start changing color is to get an eye exam. 2020 On-site's mobile eye clinics offer a compelling option for businesses looking to offer a unique corporate perk. Other options for eye exams include finding a local optometrist, or visiting Costco Optical if you hold a membership there.
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FAQs
The colors in your environment, including lighting and your clothes, can give the illusion of eye color change. "The factors that can cause eyes to change colors—or appear to have different colors—include genes, diseases, medications and trauma," said Omar Chaudhary, MD, an ophthalmologist in Potomac, Md.
Why are my brown eyes turning green? ›
If the color of one or both eyes changes suddenly and significantly, see an eye doctor as soon as possible. It is particularly dangerous for eyes to change from brown to green, or from blue to brown. Major changes in the iris' pigment can indicate illness, such as: Horner's syndrome.
Is it possible to change eye color naturally? ›
Certain medical conditions can cause changes in eye colour. For instance, Fuchs' heterochromic iridocycl*tis, a rare form of eye inflammation, can lead to a loss of pigmentation in the iris. Other conditions, such as Horner's syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma, can also alter eye colour.
Can emotional trauma change eye color? ›
Your mood and your body's natural reaction isn't actually changing the color of your eyes. This situation is more of a mental mind trick. The effect can still be very interesting. The size of your pupil can also be changed due to stroke, brain damage, or trauma according to the AAO.
What is the rarest eye color? ›
While the global data on eye colors is limited, red and violet eyes are likely the rarest eye colors since they only affect a small group of people with albinism. But if you exclude eye colors brought on by albinism, then green and gray are likely the rarest.
Does eye color change with health? ›
And while actual changes in eye color are rare, they can also indicate an underlying health disorder that needs to be addressed. “Eyes can appear to change color due to an undiagnosed disease, a new medication or even trauma,” says David Silverstone, M.D., a professor of ophthalmology at the Yale School of Medicine.
Is it normal for eyes to go from brown to green? ›
For most people, eye color will not change significantly past infancy. If you notice a change in your eye color, set an appointment with an eye doctor to help find the cause. If it's a major change that happens suddenly, ask for an urgent appointment.
Can brown eyes turn hazel with age? ›
For a small percentage of people, their eyes actually can change color. With age, eyes can naturally become either darker or lighter.
What is it called when people's eyes change color? ›
If your eye color changes after you're an infant, it's called acquired heterochromia. Possible causes include: Eye injury.
Which eye color is most attractive? ›
One thing these survey results have in common is that light-colored eyes — green, gray, blue, and hazel — are named as the most attractive eye colors in the world. In one large survey of more than 66,000 people, green was chosen as the most attractive eye color. Green is also among the rarest eye colors.
Green eyes are the most rare eye color in the world. Only about 2 percent of people in the world have naturally green eyes. Green eyes are a genetic mutation that results in low levels of melanin, though more melanin than in blue eyes. Green eyes don't actually have any color.
Do eye color changing drops really work? ›
As for eye drops claiming they can permanently lighten your eye color, she says there's no evidence those will be effective. “You're actually stopping melanin from being produced, and that's really difficult to do, when you're talking about something penetrating into the eye to make a difference,” Cobin-Simon said.
What do PTSD eyes look like? ›
The pupils of those with PTSD failed to show sharp constriction caused by light changes, and more enlargement when exposed to emotional stimuli that other participants.
Can mental illness change your eye color? ›
Very rarely a colour change may be observed – most commonly involving those with blue eyes having them turn from blue to brown, but the eyes can also blacken (anecdotally described as more common in dysphoric manic/hypomanic states but also observed by the first author in several patients when they developed a mixed ...
Can stress change eye color? ›
One of the most well-known factors is exposure to sunlight. Sunlight can cause the melanin in our irises to darken, leading to changes in eye color over time. Other factors that may influence eye color include diet and nutrition, stress, and illness.
What disease makes your eyes different colors? ›
Heterochromia is the presence of different colored eyes in the same person. Heterochromia in humans appears either as a hereditary trait unassociated with other disease, as a symptom of various syndromes or as the result of a trauma.
What causes eyes to see different colors? ›
Brainard says the research points to the differences in cone cells — which detect color — as the main reason two eyes in the same body will each see slightly different colors.
What age does eye color change? ›
As more melanin develops, the eyes can darken to green, hazel, or brown. Predicting when your child's eyes will stop changing color can vary. “The range of time when a baby will develop their 'true' eye color varies, but it usually happens between six and nine months of age,” Dr.
