Aside from the brain, the eyes are probably the most complex organ in the human body. They can bring our world into focus, bend light, and grant us vision. However, for many of us, the most fascinating thing about eyes is their color. Some people may believe that their eye color has changed over time. This leads us to the question, can eye color change with age?
Does Eye Color Change With Age?
Well, that depends. Most people’s eye colors will fully mature during infancy. You know how some babies are born with those steel blue eyes, that turn to another color over time? That is an example of eyes becoming fully mature. Some people are even born with the eye color that they will have their entire life.
For a small percentage of people, their eyes actually can change color. With age, eyes can naturally become either darker or lighter.
Pigment melanin is what determines eye color. The more connective tissue at the front of the iris called the stroma, the darker the eyes are. Eyes with less connective tissue tend to be of a lighter color.
For many people, their melanin levels will remain the same their entire life, meaning that their eye color stays the same.
Sometimes, a change in eye color is just a simple part of aging and is harmless. However, there are a few things that can permanently change melanin levels.
Ocular diseases, such as pigmentary glaucoma, can change melanin levels. Genetics could also cause eye color to change over time.
Heterochromia, also known as multi-colored eyes, can cause eye color to change over time as well. This disease is often caused by a traumatic injury. Around 1% of the population has heterochromatic eyes.
The answer is, while most people will have the same eye color throughout their entire life, some people will notice an eye color change with age. Some people find their eye color to be very significant and take this information seriously, whereas other people don’t care what color their eye is, as long as they can still see.
Can Sun Exposure Change Eye Color?
Sun exposure cannot permanently change the color of your eyes. However, sun exposure can stimulate melanin production in the eyes and lead to the appearance of small brown spots on the iris also known as “eye freckles”. It is important to note that prolonged and unprotected exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays can cause damage to the eyes, such as an increased risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Therefore, it is best to wear protective eyewear, such as sunglasses with 100% UV protection, and a hat when spending time outdoors to reduce the risk of eye damage.
Contact Michigan Eye Institute today if you notice a change in eye color or to learn more about keeping your eyes healthy!
Some people are even born with the eye color that they will have their entire life. For a small percentage of people, their eyes actually can change color. With age, eyes can naturally become either darker or lighter.
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.
Glaucoma drops can change eye color. These are known as prostaglandin analogues and are used to treat people who have a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. They work by lowering the pressure in the eye and include: Xalatan (latanoprost)
"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.
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.
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. Zepeda says.
For people hoping to alter their eye color permanently, iris implant surgery is available. However, due to the severe associated risks, many doctors discourage this option. In this article, we describe how eye color develops and the most common ways to change it, temporarily or permanently.
Sometimes, a change in eye color is just a simple part of aging and is harmless. However, there are a few things that can permanently change melanin levels. Ocular diseases, such as pigmentary glaucoma, can change melanin levels. Genetics could also cause eye color to change over time.
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.
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.
While colored contact lenses are the safest solution for eye color change, surgery may be appropriate if a damaged or abnormally colored iris is causing you distress. Even so, the procedure may not be covered by insurance.
Your iris (the colored part of your eye) may change through a virus or disease process, leading to a slightly different hue to your eyes. The color may lighten due to a loss of pigmentation in your iris or atrophy when the muscle in your iris grows thinner. Causes could include: Pigment dispersion syndrome.
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.
If your color vision deficiency is genetic, your color vision won't get any better or worse over time. You can also get color vision deficiency later in life if you have a disease or injury that affects your eyes or brain.
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.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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