Melanin is the predominant pigment present in the eye, whose concentration determines the shade of color of the eye.However, it has been scientifically proven that the color of eyes changes over a lifetime. A single gene does not determine the different colors of the eye; it is the result of several genetic amalgams that contribute to the final eye color.The color depends on the number of pigments in the iris. People have different iris colors, depending on the color of their parents’ genes or parents’ eyes’ color. It has been seen that if a person has the least amount of pigment in his iris, his eyes will have the color blue. We see various eye colors in the human population ranging from blue, brown, green, gray, and more. Whenever you go to the eye doctor, you will see patients with a range of eye colors; however, the difference in the color of the eyes is not associated with any disease or disorder. It depends on the variants of genes present in the person’s DNA. Eye color cannot be associated with only one factor; it depends on the genetics of a person and the environmental circumstances he is being exposed to. Even though scientists have related eye color to the parent’s genes, the effect of diet and livelihood have not been entirely ruled out.Whether you have brown eyes or blue, you will like this article. And if you like this article, then why not read about do blue eyes see better in the dark and do bananas float in the water here on Kidadl.What is the colored part of the eye called?The colored part of the eye is called Iris. It is a colored tissue that surrounds the eye’s pupil, which controls the amount of light that enters the eye.Iris will change the pupil size to regulate how much light will enter the eye. For example, if you enter a well-lit room, the pupil will contract, and less light will enter the eye. On the other hand, if you enter a dark room, the iris will help it to dilate.Types Of Eye Color In The WorldThere are a variety of eye colors found in populations across the globe, including amber, blue, brown, gray, green, hazel, or red.Iris color can be lighter or darker, ranging from very light blue to dark brown eyes, depending on the number of iris pigments. Most people seem to have brown eyes. However, lighter shades of eye color such as blue or green eyes have been observed in people of European ancestry. Lighter eye colors are primarily due to the genomic composition of the person. The rarest eye color in the world is green. Green eyes are found mainly in the people of Ireland, Scotland, and Europe. People of Brazil, the middle east, north Africa, or Spain usually have hazel-colored eyes. Hazel eye color occurs due to Rayleigh Scattering, which is the phenomenon that makes the sky look blue. We can artificially change eye colors by using colored contact lenses. These lenses can help us achieve a different color, such as light blue eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes, or gray eyes. Contact lenses do not affect our vision.Effect Of Melanin On Eye ColorMelanin is one of the pigments in the iris which gives rise to the different shades of eye color. Depending on how much melanin is in the eyes, different colored eyes are observed. If the parent’s eyes have more eye pigment, the person’s eye color will have a darker shade.The amino acid Tyrosine produces melanin, which is a black pigment. The end product of melanin biosynthesis is Eumelanin and Pheomelanin. Eumelanin is associated with brown to black eye color, while Pheomelanin is related to yellow to red shades of eye color.A rare condition in which the iris of the eyes is multicolored is called Heterochromia iridium. In some people, the color of the iris in one eye is different from that of the other eye. This case of Heterochromia iridium is called partial heterochromia iridium. It is one of the rare cases. In the case of central heterochromia iridium, the borders of the pupils have a color different from that of the rest of the pupil, forming colored rings.Function Of Rod Cells And Cone CellsRod cells are associated with the intensity of light that enters the eyes, while cone cells are associated with the color of the surroundings that our eyes can perceive.Rods can function even in dim light. This kind of vision is called scotopic vision. Very few photons are enough to activate the rod cells present in the retina, so we use them for night vision.Cone cells help us to perceive the color of the object. They require a lot of light to get activated, so they preferably work in bright light. There are three types of cone cells in our eyes; blue, green, and red. The cone cells are packed into a black pit-like region called the fovea at the back of our eyes. A protein called Photopsin is present in the cone cells.Food That Can Affect Eye ColorChanging eye color can be induced by consuming certain foods. Some of them change the color of the eyes, while others will improve the eye’s overall health.Magnesium and zinc-rich animal meat have been seen to change the color of the eye. Vitamin C enriched foods, like citrus fruits and many everyday foods, including most other fruits, tomatoes, carrots, and onions, make the eyes look brighter. Most babies develop their permanent eye color at about nine months of age, while in the case of kittens, permanent eye color settles in between three to eight weeks of age. Surprisingly, it has been observed that the color of the eye changes due to differential dilation of the pupil when expressing varied emotions or moods. It can also change with the growing age of a person.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do your eyes change color, the truth about eye color changes, then why not take a look at why do dogs have wet noses, cool animal facts to know or why do plants need nitrogen, plant growth facts worth knowing?
Melanin is the predominant pigment present in the eye, whose concentration determines the shade of color of the eye.
