From the moment you met your baby, you've likely fallen in love with their adorable eyes. You may have also heard that babies' eyes may change color within the first year, and might be wondering if this is a myth or a reality. This one is true! A baby's eyes can shift in hue over the first 12 months of life, especially if your little one has fair skin and light eyes.
We connected with some experts to learn more about why some babies' eyes change color, and when you can expect to see your little one's true shades emerge.
Why Do Babies' Eyes Change Color?
When babies are born, especially fair-skinned ones, their eyes are usually light-colored because they have very little melanin (a type of pigment that gives color to the eyes, skin, and hair), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
"The amount of melanin in the iris, the colored part of the eye, determines what color a person's eyes will be," says Douglas Fredrick, M.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at Stanford Children's Health in Palo Alto, California. After birth, light stimulates the production of melanin, which is why eye color may darken or change over time.
Note that the color of the pigment does not cause the change; there is no blue, gray, green, or hazel pigment in the eye, Dr. Fredrick says. Brown is the only pigment that exists in the eye, and the amount of brown pigment determines whether a person's eyes will be light or dark, he explains.
What Eye Color Will My Baby Have?
Genetics control how much melanin (or pigment) a person will have in their body. Essentially, DNA from parents determines if a baby's eyes will be blue, brown, green, or another color. It may seem like a simple equation: One brown-eyed parent plus one brown-eyed parent should equal one brown-eyed baby, right? But that's not necessarily the case.
Multiple genes in the body contribute to eye color, says Dr. Fredrick. Even if a baby's parents both have brown eyes, it's possible for the baby to end up with blue ones if the parents have the genes for blue eyes somewhere in their genetic makeup, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Indeed, a baby's eye color depends not only on the biological parents but grandparents too, says Jean Moorjani, M.D., a pediatrician at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.
It's nearly impossible to predict your baby's eye color in advance. "Nobody, the doctor included, can predict what color the eyes will be once the baby gets older," Dr. Fredrick says. And what your baby eats or does, and how much you expose them to light, doesn't matter either. It's all up to genetics and nothing more.
That said, if your baby was born with brown eyes, it means they already have the amount of melanin assigned by their genetic code, so their eye color won't change. Also, not every baby with light-colored eyes experiences a darkening in color; sometimes the blue, green, gray, or hazel is there to stay!
When Will My Baby's Eyes Change Color?
Typically, you'll see the biggest eye color change in the first 6 to 9 months of life, Dr. Moorjani says. Over several weeks or months, you may notice your baby's eyes getting darker. The change is so gradual that you may not notice until, one day, they wake up and surprise you with a different eye color!
By 12 months, most babies will have their permanent eye color, although Dr. Fredrick says that some children's eye color may still change up until age 6 (but this occurrence is rare and the change won't happen overnight).
Generally, your baby's eye color will change without affecting their vision or causing any problems. But if only one eye changes color (which is very rare) or if you notice cloudiness in your baby's eye, contact a pediatrician, pediatric ophthalmologist, or health care provider with your concerns.
Your baby's eye color may continue going through a number of changes due to pigmentation of the iris until baby's first birthday, and you may still notice subtle eye color changes (green eyes slowly turning hazel, say, or hazel ones deepening into brown) until she's 3 years old.
By 12 months, most babies will have their permanent eye color, although Dr. Fredrick says that some children's eye color may still change up until age 6 (but this occurrence is rare and the change won't happen overnight).
When can you tell what colour a baby's eyes will be? It could take anything from a few months to three years for your baby to get to his or her final eye colour.
It could take about a year for your baby's eye color to come in, but any change in color will usually slow down when your little one is about 6 months old. In some cases, the color change can continue for several years to come.
Your child's newborn eye color may be blue, but that doesn't mean it'll necessarily stay that way. “Babies' eyes tend to change color sometime between 6 and 12 months, but it can take as long as three years until you see the true color of what their eyes are going to be,” says Barbara Cohlan, MD, a neonatologist at St.
In the months after birth, a child's irises may gain more pigment and become more green, hazel, or brown in color. However, brown eyes won't get "lighter" or bluer. While most babies have their final eye color by the time they're 1 year old, some see changes until adulthood.
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.
A child's eye color depends on the pairing of genes passed on from each parent, which is thought to involve at least three gene pairs. The two main gene pairs geneticists have focused on are EYCL1 (also called the gey gene) and EYCL3 (also called the bey2 gene).
Two brown-eyed parents are likely (but not guaranteed) to have a child with brown eyes. If you notice one of the grandparents has blue eyes, the chances of having a blue-eyed baby go up a bit. If one parent has brown eyes and the other has blue eyes, odds are about even on eye color.
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. Since melanin plays a role in eye color, exposure to the sun can lead to eye color changes.
The question of whether brown eyes can turn hazel is complex. Typically, eye color is genetically determined and remains consistent throughout life. However, certain factors can cause brown eyes to appear hazel in specific circ*mstances.
At about 1 month, your little one can detect the brightness and intensity of colors, and over the next few months may start to see several basic colors, including red. Your baby's color vision is fully developed by about 4 months, when they'll be able to see lots of colors and even shades of colors.
Your baby's skin color is determined by the genes passed on from you and your partner. Skin color is what is called a polygenic trait, meaning that it depends on more than one gene. Genetics determine melanin, which in turn decides your baby's natural complexion. The more melanin, the darker the complexion.
When a baby has jaundice, a yellowish color usually first appears on the face.It then may spread to the chest, belly, arms, legs and white parts of the eyes. The best way to see jaundice is in good light, like in daylight or under fluorescent lights.
A study found that many babies (both male and female) had darker hair for the first six months of life, and lighter hair between 9 months and 30 months of age. Then, after the age of 3, the subjects' hair became progressively darker until they turned 5.
Both parents with brown eyes: 75% chance of baby with brown eyes, 18.8% chance of baby with green eyes, 6.3% chance of baby with blue eyes. Both parents with blue eyes: 99% chance of baby with blue eyes, 1% chance of baby with green eyes, 0% chance of baby with brown eyes.
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.
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.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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