In as much as 15 percent of the white population (or people who tend to have lighter eye colors), eye color changes with age. People who had deep brown eyes during their youth and adulthood may experience a lightening of their eye pigment as they enter middle age, giving them hazel eyes.
Adults can, too. About 10-15 percent of Caucasian people (mostly those with light eyes) have eyes that change color in later life. Light brown eyes can get lighter and look hazel, whereas hazel eyes can get darker. These changes happen because of melanin production in the body and/or pigment changes in the iris.
As they are exposed to light, melanin production increases, causing the color of their eyes to shift. 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.
There are two types of melanin—eumelanin, which is dark brown-black, and pheomelanin (also called lipochrome), which is a lighter reddish-yellow. Most sources say that amber eyes comprise a higher level of pheomelanin, giving them their golden glow.
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.
People who had deep brown eyes during their youth and adulthood may experience a lightening of their eye pigment as they enter middle age, giving them hazel eyes. Conversely, someone born with hazel eyes might see their irises get darker as they grow older.
The pupil can change size with certain emotions, thus changing the iris color dispersion and the eye color. You've probably heard people say your eyes change color when you're angry, and that probably is true. Your eyes can also change color with age. They usually darken somewhat.
Common Explanations for Changes in Eye Color
When your pupils dilate, they change in size. Pupils change sizes to let more light into the eye, often in surroundings with dim lighting. This causes the eye to appear darker due to the iris being less visible.
Changes in eye color are rare. Sometimes, the color of your eye may appear to change when your pupils dilate. The colors in your environment, including lighting and your clothes, can give the illusion of eye color change.
Browns, golds and greens will instantly enhance the richness of hazel, bronzes are dreamy for bringing out the warmth and purples provide a gorgeous contrast to your eye colour.
If your eyes have a noticeable burst of color towards the pupil and another color on the outer part of the iris, then your eyes are hazel. But if your eyes are primarily brown throughout the entire iris, then you have brown eyes.
We learn that brown eye color is dominant, while blue eyes are recessive. By this logic, two blue-eyed parents couldn't have a child with light brown eyes, much less a child with hazel or even the more mysterious grey eyes. What is this? Turns out, many factors determine human eye color, including mutation and light.
Much like gray eyes, hazel eyes may appear to “change color” from green to light brown to gold. Individuals whose eyes appear to be one color closest to the pupil, another color a little farther our, and another color around the edge of the iris are likely to have hazel eyes.
Two brown-eyed parents are likely to have a brown-eyed child, but could potentially have a child with blue, green or hazel eyes, depending on the combination of genes from each parent.
People with brown eyes are said to be independent, determined and self-confident. Yet, you never fail to remain humble. When people look at you, they get a sense of security and stability – you are known to be trustworthy. While you may want to act tough, your brown eyes portray how kind and sensitive you truly are.
When eyes are hazel, they are brown mixed with amber and green. In some cases, there are shades of gray, blue, and gold within the iris too. Brown eyes may also have some green in them. However, it is not nearly as noticeable as it is when someone has hazel eyes.
Environmental factors like stress and food may also influence eye color. Colored contact lenses are the easiest way to change eye color artificially, although it's only temporary.
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.
In most people, the answer is no. Eye color fully matures in infancy and remains the same for life. But in a small percentage of adults, eye color can naturally become either noticeably darker or lighter with age.
When broken down by gender, men ranked gray, blue, and green eyes as the most attractive, while women said they were most attracted to green, hazel, and gray eyes. Despite brown eyes ranking at the bottom of our perceived attraction scale, approximately 79% of the world's population sports melanin-rich brown eyes.
Anyone can be born with hazel eyes, but it's most common in people of Brazilian, Middle Eastern, North African, or Spanish descent.
Hazel eyes are a mix of brown and green. Different factors can cause these colors to be more prominent, but your genes determine them. Hazel eyes are rare, occurring in about 5% of the world's population.
Can you change the color of your eyes naturally? Unfortunately, no. Just like your hair and skin color, the color of your iris is genetic. That means that unless you break down your genetic code or cell structure, your eye color cannot be changed permanently without surgery.