Grey eyes are one of the rarest eye colors. Less than 3% of the global population has grey eyes. They're most commonly found in people of Northern and Eastern European ancestry. Like all eye colors, they're a product of the amount of melanin in the iris.
People with gray eyes have little or no melanin in their irises, but they have more collagen in a part of the eye called the stroma. The light scatters off the collagen in a way that makes the eyes appear gray.
In lighter eyes, there is less melanin, and it is located in the back layer. Though scientists don't yet know exactly what causes gray eye color, they believe that the genetics at work are likely the same as — or very similar to — the genetics behind the development of blue eyes.
It may be that the same gene is involved in gray eyes. The gene I am talking about is called OCA2. This gene gives the instructions for a protein, called P-protein that helps decide how much melanin is made.
Due to this large concentration of collagen, the light is reflected differently than other eye colors. Gray eyes are common in parts of Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and among the Algerian Shawia people in Northwest Africa.
Green eyes are common in Central Europe, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Gray eyes are common in Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Gray: The Rarest Eye Color
New classifications have determined that gray is its own standard color.1 (It was previously, and incorrectly, lumped in with blue.) With this change, gray now tops the list as the rarest eye color.
The colour has been connected to supernatural beings like angels, elves, and wizards. Spiritual meaning behind grey eyes: Some people see grey eyes and think of mystery, freedom, and romance. Others see creativity and spontaneity.
Having gray eyes is one of the rarest physical conditions in the human race. The color is caused by the front layer of the iris having less melanin than the back layer. Women with gray eyes tend to have a blue shade of gray, while men usually have a green shade of gray.
They have a strong nature and remain strong when facing external pressure. Grey eyed guys and gals are calm, organized, and keep to themselves. Their eye color may not be bright and vibrant, but they fall in love and stay extremely loyal.
Babies whose heritage is dark-skinned are usually born with brown eyes, whereas Caucasian newborns tend to be born with blue or gray eyes. Since melanocytes respond to light, at birth a baby may have eyes that appear gray or blue mostly due to the lack of pigment and because he's been in a dark womb up until now.
Your children inherit their eye colors from you and your partner. It's a combination of mom and dad's eye colors – generally, the color is determined by this mix and whether the genes are dominant or recessive. Every child carries two copies of every gene – one comes from mom, and the other comes from dad.
Yes. The short answer is that brown-eyed parents can have kids with brown, blue or virtually any other color eyes. Eye color is very complicated and involves many genes.
We found that green is the most popular lens colour, with brown coming in a close second, despite it being one of the most common eye colours. Although blue and hazel are seen as the most attractive eye colours for men and women they are surprisingly the least popular.
What is the rarest eye color? Green is the rarest eye color in the world, with only 2% of the world's population (and fewer than one out of ten Americans) sporting green peepers, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
Gray eyes earned top scores for attractiveness
The analysts at 1-800 Contacts polled 1000 people online, asking them to rate each eye color on a scale of one to 10. When these scores were averaged, gray eyes beat out the competition with a ranking of 7.4 on the attractiveness scale.
Despite songs about blue eyes and brown-eyed girls, neither were found to be the most attractive eye color. Instead, gray eyes topped the chart with an average rating of 7.4, followed by blue and green eyes each scoring an average of 7.3.
Their low melanin content is similar, but in fact, gray irises are significantly more rare than standard blue eyes. If you look closely, you might even spot streaks of brown, amber and gold within the gray. Even less common is a condition called heterochromia — different colored eyes.
Hazel eyes can occur in people of any ancestry, but they're particularly common in those of European or Middle Eastern descent. And while the exact genetics of hazel eyes are still not fully understood, we do know that multiple genes determine them.
If you have Grey Eyes...
Luckily, there are a few colours that always work on you. To really enhance the natural grey in your eyes, experiment with silver, gunmetal and icy blue shades, as well as dark greys and light blues.
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).
The key to making grey eyes really stand out is to use a shade that is similar to the eye colour itself, so silvery/blue/grey tones would be the best eyeshadow for grey eyes. The True Colour Perfect Wear Eyeshadow palette is the perfect make-up for grey eyes. It also complements grey-blue eyes.
They're frequently confused for blue eyes at first glance, but unlike blue eyes, grey eyes often have spots of gold and brown in the iris. Like most light eye colors, the perceived shade of grey-colored eyes comes from a low amount of melanin in the iris and the way that light hits the eye.
Gray eyes are a genetic trait passed down from generation to generation, either through dominant or recessive genes. There is some disagreement among experts about which method is responsible for gray eye color. Still, most evidence suggests that gray eyes result from both dominant and recessive genetic interactions.
Silver (grey) eyes: A grey-silver colour is quite rare and occurs as a result of virtually no melanin in the iris. Silver eyes are considered to be one of the rarest colours around the world, but when they do occur, this is most often seen in eastern Europe areas.