11 Things That Can Change Your Eye Color

Summary

This script delves into the fascinating factors influencing eye color changes, from the melanocytes' role in determining hues to the impact of age, genetics, and various health conditions. It explores how babies' eye colors can evolve and how conditions like Horner's syndrome or Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis can alter iris hues. The video also touches on rare occurrences like iris melanomas and the potential for eye color to be influenced by emotional states or even permanently altered by trauma. Innovative solutions like iris implants for congenital aniridia are introduced, highlighting the complex interplay of biology, genetics, and modern medicine in our perception of eye color.

Takeaways

• 👀 Eye color can change over time due to various factors.
• 🧬 Melanocytes in the iris determine eye color by producing melanin.
• 👶 Many babies are born with lighter eye colors that darken as they age.
• 👵 Eyes can lighten in old age due to conditions like arcus senilis.
• 🩺 Certain medical conditions, like Horner’s syndrome and Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis, can cause eyes to lighten.
• 🧬 Albinism results in little to no melanin, leading to pink or reddish eyes.
• 🧬 Green eyes have more pheomelanin, which is yellow-red.
• 💊 Medications, like prostaglandins for glaucoma, can darken eye color.
• 🦠 Conditions such as vitiligo can cause patchy loss of pigment in the eyes.
• 🔬 Iris implants are a potential solution for congenital aniridia, allowing for customized eye colors.

Q & A

What is the role of the iris in the eye?

The iris acts as the gatekeeper to light entering the eye, containing the muscle to open and close the pupil, thus regulating the amount of light that enters.

How does the iris achieve its various colors?

The iris's colors are due to its cellular makeup, particularly the melanocytes found in both layers of the iris, which produce melanin that absorbs light and gives the eyes their hue.

What is melanin and how does it affect eye color?

Melanin is a pigment produced by melanocytes throughout the body, including in the iris. It absorbs light and does not reflect it back, making areas with more melanin appear darker.

How do the amounts of eumelanin and pheomelanin influence eye color?

Different combinations of eumelanin (black or dark brown) and pheomelanin (light brown, yellow, or red) affect the color of the eyes, similar to mixing paint colors.

Why might a person's eye color change after birth?

Eye color can change after birth because melanocytes in the iris may not be fully in place or specialized yet, and over the first few months of life, the iris becomes populated with these pigment-making cells, causing the eyes to darken.

At what age does eye color typically stabilize?

For most people, eye color stabilizes by around six years old, although a twin study found that 10-15% of white participants' eyes continued to darken between age 6 and adulthood.

What is Arcus senilis and how does it affect eye color?

Arcus senilis is a buildup of lipids around the iris that can give it a light blue or gray ring, typically occurring in elderly people and usually being benign.

How can Horner’s syndrome affect a person's eye color?

Horner’s syndrome, caused by damage or disruption to certain nerves in the head and neck, can cause the eyes to get lighter in color due to a reduction in melanin.

What is Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis and how does it impact eye color?

Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis is an inflammation of structures in the front of the eye, including the iris, which can eventually lead to a lightening of the eyes due to fewer melanocytes and smaller melanin-producing machinery.

What is pigment dispersion syndrome and how does it cause eye color to change?

Pigment dispersion syndrome involves a loss of pigment, causing the eyes to get lighter. It is thought to occur when the iris is too big for the eye, causing it to bow backward and allowing fibers that hold the lens in place to rub the pigment off the iris.

Can eye color change be a side effect of certain medications?

Yes, certain medications, such as prostaglandins used to treat glaucoma, can cause the iris to darken as a side effect.

How can vitiligo affect the appearance of eye color?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that can destroy melanocytes in the eyes, resulting in patchy blue spots in the iris or more widespread loss of pigment, which can change the appearance of eye color.

What is one way that emotional state can create the illusion of a change in eye color?

The pupil can dilate differently when processing different emotions. Fear, for example, can cause the pupil to dilate more drastically, temporarily making the eyes look a different color as less of the iris is visible.

What is an iris implant and how can it be used to change eye color?

An iris implant is a medical procedure that can help correct congenital aniridia, a condition where a person is born without a part or all of their iris. While not yet FDA approved for widespread use, these implants can technically allow individuals to select any color for their new iris.