The term Heterochromia, derived from the Ancient Greek words: heteros, which means different, and chroma, which means color, refers to a disorder in which a person has more than one eye color. Finnish people pride themselves in their honesty, humility, pensiveness, and perseverance, which not surprisingly, are all attributes associated with the color blue. So, the more melanin you have, the darker your eyes appear. If there is enough or too much melanin, the eyes are brown and black. Blue-eyed humans have a single, common ancestor. Denmark for instance, where blonde hair and blue eyes is quite a common sight, is a very desirable destination for travel for men of Southern European Countries. Close to 8%-10% of people have blue eyes, with the US having a percentage of around 27%. Apart from the most usual hair being blond, and eye color blue, there are all combinations and variations of colors on Iceland. Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. Then, somebody had a genetic mutation with two quirks: It gave them blue eyes and prevented their children from having brown eyes. When it comes to first impressions, the little things make all the difference. Moreover, a gray iris may indicate uveitis, while those with blue, green, or gray eyes are at an increased risk of uveal melanoma. ", "Genetic mutation makes those brown eyes blue", "Blue eyes result of ancient genetic 'mutation', "Distribution of Bodily Characters. or brown eyes. First, one can have blue eyes as a result of a genetic mutation. Woman From Denmark With Blue Eyes. [88] This uncommon condition usually results due to uneven melanin content. But lets not get things too scientific at this point. Top 10 Countries that Have the Most Blondes and Blue Eyes as a Percentage of Population, countries with the most beautiful women in Europe, countries with the most beautiful women in the world, 11 Countries with the Most Beautiful Women in Europe, 20 Countries With The Most Beautiful Women In The World, top 10 countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population, How to Best Use Insider Monkey to Increase Your Returns, 6 Things You Didn't Know About Hedge Funds. 4. The different types of uveitis are: Anterior uveitis, Intermediate uveitis, Posterior uveitis, and Pan-uveitis. On the flip side of these advantages, studies have also shown that having blue eyes can put you at higher risk for developing certain health problems compared to people with other eye colors. [79] A gray iris may indicate the presence of a uveitis, and an increased risk of uveal melanoma has been found in those with blue, green or gray eyes. Most newborn babies who have European ancestry have light-colored eyes. [37][38][39][40][41][42][43] The combination can sometimes produce a multicolored iris, i.e., an eye that is light brown/amber near the pupil and charcoal or dark green on the outer part of the iris (or vice versa) when observed in sunlight. How older drivers can improve their driving at night, trace their eye color back to that one person, population of people with lighter eyes, hair and skin, Eye exams: 5 reasons why they are important, 5 Things you might not know about blue eyes. Contact an eye doctor if you need medical attention. [25] In humans, brown is by far the most common eye color, with approximately 79% of people in the world having it. That is, they certainly are not the tallest (although tall enough being behind one of the tallest countries like Germany or Netherlands), and the researches concerning eye color are not precise enough as we have noted in the introduction. Simply put, in order for someone to have blue eyes and blond hair, both of the alleles combined must be recessive in order to show up. Photochromic lenses are another way to protect blue eyes from UV radiation. Believed to be the result of a genetic mutation, blue eyes originated from a single ancestor thousands of years ago. [13][14] These genes are sought by studying small changes in the genes themselves and in neighboring genes, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. How older drivers can improve their driving at night, researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Schedule an appointment with a local eye doctor, How color contact lenses can make anyone's eyes blue. Even though amber is similar to gold, some people have russet or copper colored amber eyes that are mistaken for hazel, though hazel tends to be duller and contains green with red/gold flecks, as mentioned above. For example, the film actor Lee Van Cleef was born with one blue eye and one green eye, a trait that reportedly was common in his family, suggesting that it was a genetic trait. All About Vision does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Sitting sixth on this list, Denmark 's population is 60 percent blue-eyed. However, they might increase your risk of health problems like type 1 diabetes and eye cancer. [47][48] In Scotland, 29% of people have green eyes. [27] Green eyes contain the yellowish pigment lipochrome.[52]. While researchers have not pinpointed the exact cause yet, they do know that besides age, women with fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes have a significantly higher chance of developing macular degeneration. Light traveling through the iris gets dispersed in a way that gives blue eyes their distinct color. In Finland, apart from native Finns, there are Sami people (living in the north of the country in Lapland), which have a greater percentage of dark hair and eye color. Eiberg studied the DNA of 800 men and women with blue eyes from varying countries ranging from "fair-skinned, blond-haired Scandinavians to dark-skinned, blue-eyed people living in Turkey and . Eye color not only affects ones personality but also reflects ones ancestry, the melanin concentration in irises, and even ones current health condition. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? Comments. Red hair is . Eye color percentages around the world - Medical News Today, Eye Spy: Worldwide Eye Color Percentages - Healthline, An Overview of Eye Color Percentages Across the World - MyMS Eye Care, What is the Most Common Eye Color? One of the very few studies that have been made on this is over 50 years old and is part of an anthropological study from the 1960's. The study concluded that somewhere between 50 and 80 percent . [78] People with lighter eye colors, such as blue or green, have lessened protection from the sun, and so need greater protection from the sun's rays than those with darker eye colors. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. Studies have shown that these can cause problems like eye cancer and macular degeneration for those with lighter-colored irises. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Additionally, Icelanders are very passionate about supporting their sports teams! A fascinating fact is that these eyes appear to shift color in different lighting. In fact, more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts. Blue 8.0%. Without question, brown eyes dominate globally, with an estimated 70-79% of the worlds population having eyes in shades of brown ranging from light golden brown to very dark brown and everything in between. The brown eye colour is in the US the . Why Do Europeans Have So Many Hair and Eye Colors? It often develops as you age and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 55. A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. Eyeglass temples: How do you know if they're the right length? France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with "intermediate" (neither brown nor blue) eye color. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) claims that everyone on the planet had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. This is because - according to research - redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold pain. Blue eyes are most common in northern and eastern Europe, particularly around the Baltic Sea. Thats true for people of every eye color. Hazel eyes are most common in North Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, and Spain. Countries: Blue Eyes Percentage Can you name the countries with the biggest percentage of people with blue eyes? Around 70% to 80% of the people also have blue eyes. They were present in south Siberia during the Bronze Age. Grey 0%. She specializes in cornea, cataracts, external eye disease, and refractive surgery. However, a blue-eyed child is almost certain if both parents have blue eyes. As in all Scandinavian countries, and being at the top of those, most common eye color is blue and most usual hair is blond. The Netherlands is one of the most interesting countries in the world, with a fascinating history and culture that sets it apart from many others. 2. Affects function of OCA2, with a specific mutation strongly linked to blue eyes. Bilirubin thus accumulates in the blood and makes the sclera and skin yellow. "Blue eyes are seen as powerful. Estonia is the country most known for its fair-skinned, blue-eyed population, followed closely by Finland. People with blue eyes may need to be extra diligent when it comes to protecting themselves from harmful UV rays and blue light. [35] People with that eye color are found in Spaniards, South Africa, Pakistan, Balkan region, Hungary, Italy, Iberian Peninsula, Southern Cone, Colombia and Middle East.[36]. Time for Heating Systems 101. If you have a darker iris color, you are at a greater risk of developing this eye disease. Finland is the first among the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. For other uses, see. Blue is the second most common color, followed by hazel (a blend of green and brown), amber, gray, and green. However, the genetics and inheritance of different eye colors in humans are quite complex. In those with milder forms of albinism, the color of the iris is typically blue but can vary from blue to brown. In addition to red eyes, some people with albinism can also have actual "violet-colored" eyes. After green, gray is the second-rarest natural eye color, with 3% of the worlds population having gray eyes. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:18. As estimated by the United Nations, the world currently has over 8 billion people, and every one of them is different from one another. Ready? In Africa dark eyes, skin and hair are the norm, but blue eyes are more common in southern Europe and even more common in northern Europe, where 70 per cent of people have blue eyes. Indeed, one study found evidence of blue-eyed hunters and gatherers roaming Spain 7,000 years ago. [12], Eye color is an inherited trait determined by multiple genes. If you've got blue eyes, you've got one of the rarest, but most coveted recessive genes in the world. If you see a dark outline around your iris -- the colored part of your eye -- this is your limbal ring. [3][6] This is an example of structural color, which depends on the lighting conditions, especially for lighter-colored eyes. Image credit: Aleksandar Mijatovic via Shutterstock. Melanin is also responsible for the color of our skin, eyes and hair. About 5% of the worlds population have hazel eyes. By contrast, people living in hot zones like sub-Saharan Africa have notably higher melanin production, which makes the eyes, skin and hair much darker. Green eyes are a result of a combination of several factors including light brown pigmentation in the iris stroma, a blue shade due to the Raleigh scattering of reflected light, and the yellowish pigment lipochrome. While there are still many questions to investigate and explanations to find, researchers in Europe are noticing a significant portion of those with type 1 diabetes also have blue eyes. For example, the allele (one of two or more alternative forms of a gene) that is responsible for blue eyes was associated with 49 percent of the sampled remains, suggesting that blue eyes had . Eyes only appear to be these colors because of the way light strikes the layers of the iris and reflects back toward the viewer. [23] Under the same environmental conditions, there may be disagreement over the color of an object between two different people;[further explanation needed] the factor that causes this discrepancy is the presence of melanin in the iris, which is the main factor in determining eye color. Sitting sixth on this list, Denmark's population is 60 percent blue-eyed. Having blue eyes has its advantages. [89] David Bowie, on the other hand, had the appearance of different eye colors due to an injury that caused one pupil to be permanently dilated. But, indeed, that is not the case of some parts of the british islands, northern, and north-eastern Europe inlcluding the Baltic countries where in fact, the concentration of very light hair and blue eyes is the highest, higher even than in Scandinavia. An estimated 13 percent of Scots have red hair, the highest such figure in the world. Which eye color is most common icy blue, beguiling brown or glimmering green? Common Eye Disorders. This form of hearing loss comes from damage to the inner ear or to the nerve going from the ear to the brain. Grndl M, Knoll S, Eisenmann-Klein M, Prantl L. The blue-eyes stereotype: do eye color, pupil diameter, and scleral color affect attractiveness? In addition to genetics, the anatomic structure of the iris can also affect eye color to some degree. [29] Brown eyes are common in Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas. [101], As the perception of color depends on viewing conditions (e.g., the amount and kind of illumination, as well as the hue of the surrounding environment), so does the perception of eye color. Only about 8 % to 10% of the world's population has blue eyes. Some medical conditions affect ones eye color. The majority of the worlds population has brown eyes, about 70-80%. Rather than including a blue pigment, they actually just lack the pigment that makes eyes brown. Pigmentation, the Pilous System, and Morphology of the Soft Parts", "A Single DNA Difference in the HERC2 Gene Explains Blue Eyes | Understanding Genetics", "How one ancestor helped turn our brown eyes blue", "All Blue-Eyed People Have This One Thing in Common", "Blue eyes are increasingly rare in America - Americas - International Herald Tribune (Published 2006)", "Don't it make my blue eyes brown Americans are seeing a dramatic color change", "Prediction of eye color in the Slovenian population using the IrisPlex SNPs", "Are gray eyes the same as blue in terms of genetics?". The AAO states that those with central heterochromia have iris with two differently colored rings, while those with complete heterochromia have one iris with a different color. Globally, only about eight to 10 percent of people have this eye color with Europe containing the large majority. Denmark, the Polish coast and the Baltic states), making it in effect an almost entirely blonde-bounded lake. 9. Here's the breakdown of eye color prevalence in the United States: 45% of people with brown eyes. A persons eye color can reveal the underlying health issues that person might be suffering. This results in the formation of KayserFleischer rings, which are dark rings that encircle the periphery of the iris. Instead, they have less melanin, absorb less light, scatter more light and reflect it along the spectrum of light color. In addition, flash photography can sometimes cause a "red-eye effect", in which the very bright light from a flash reflects off the retina, which is abundantly vascular, causing the pupil to appear red in the photograph. Most eye color changes have been observed or reported in the Caucasian population with hazel and amber eyes. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye (the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light). [93] There are also other studies that challenge these findings. So, take these figures with a pinch of salt. 15 Best Places to Travel in November in Europe, Asia and Tropical Destinations 15 Most Expensive Items You Can Buy on Amazon. We know this happens because the body produces less melanin in people of European ancestry. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. For the shade of purple, see, "Brown eyes" redirects here. [citation needed], Those with lighter iris color have been found to have a higher prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) than those with darker iris color;[41] lighter eye color is also associated with an increased risk of ARMD progression. If you have dark brown hair and brown eyes, you have something in common with most people around the globe. Trauma and certain medications, such as some prostaglandin analogues, can also cause increased pigmentation in one eye. The more melanin concentration one has, the darker ones eyes will be. That's called phototoxicity. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green. Symptoms of uveitis include burning and redness of the eyes, blurred vision, headaches, etc. An iris that appears blue under this method of observation is more likely to remain blue as the infant ages. Most researchers believe that blue-eyed individuals may be more dominant among certain populations and less present in others. It was created by the anthropologists Rudolf Martin and Bruno K Schultz in the first half of the 20th century. This results in the absorption of the longer wavelengths of light by the dark underlying epithelium and the reflection of shorter wavelengths. Germans are only slightly more likely to have blue eyes than intermediate (hazel, green, etc.) [54] In 2008, new research tracked down one genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. Only 2% of the world's population have green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. By contrast, less than 1 in every 100 people in southern Europe . All About Vision does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Especially, Intraocular Melanoma. The incidence of blue eyes continues to decline among American children. Nevertheless, green eyes are common in a few parts of the world, like Ireland and Scotland. Scientists believe that all blue-eyed people trace back to a common ancestor, who most likely carried a genetic mutation that resulted in reduced melanin production. Amber is the third-rarest natural eye color after green and gray, in 5% of the world's population. The Greek goddess Athene appears with gray eyes (). the admirers of blue eyes and fair hair were disgusted . [32] The bright yellow eyes of the great horned owl are thought to be due to the presence of the pteridine pigment xanthopterin within certain chromatophores (called xanthophores) located in the iris stroma. Since many people with blue eye color are more sensitive to light and may have a higher risk of retinal damage from UV rays, eye doctors often recommend that people with blue eyes be a little more cautious about their exposure to sunlight. Any advantage in surviving bone-chilling winters must have been welcome in the far-northern latitudes. [26] Hazel eyes are more common in Spaniards, North Africa, the Middle East, and Brazil. Page published on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. [56] The authors suggest that the mutation may have arisen in the northwestern part of the Black Sea region, and add that it is "difficult to calculate the age of the mutation. Iris color depends on the protein melanin which is stored in special cells, melanocytes. Furnace, Boiler or Heat Pump? All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. She has spent the last 10 years working for an internationally recognized medical facility where she found her passion for making complicated topics easier to understand. In fact, only about 17 percent of the world's population has blue eyes. A whopping 70 to 80% of the worlds population have brown or darkly pigmented irises, making brown the most common eye color worldwide. Eye melanoma is known to be more common for those with fair skin and light-colored eyes. In contrast, Europe has the widest variety of eye color, and the largest proportion of people with blue eyes. 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S the breakdown of eye color is an inherited trait determined by multiple.. Structure of the eyes, about 70-80 % be suffering structure of the light! Of colors on Iceland because of the longer wavelengths of light color a risk! Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC followed closely by Finland a higher in!