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EYES COLOUR
Eye color depends on a pigment present in our eyes i.e. melanin. People having a large amount of melanin present in their eyes have a darker shade of eye colors whereas people having less amount of melanin present have lighter shades of eye colour. Eye colour depends on several things like genetics, age, emotions, or maybe your diet. All these things are secondary factors and cannot affect the eye colour deeply.
How Is Eye Color Developed?
The iris has a pigment that determines the colour of our eyes. Eye colour mostly depends on the genetic trait i.e. the child has the same color as parents. However, genes can mix and result in different ways.
Normally brown eyes are referred to as “dominant” whereas blue eyes as “recessive”. Studies have shown that eye colour does not simply depend on genes because the genes can give you numerous results. After all, each parent has two pairs of genes on the chromosome. Therefore, multiple possibilities exist. A child can have a completely different eye colour if both the parent has different eye colours whereas if the parents have the same eye colour it is more likely that the child will also have that same eye colour. In some cases, babies are born with heterochromia.
Heterochromia is the case in which the irises of both eyes do not match in colour. It is caused due to genetic disorder or faulty development of the pigment present in the iris. Some other causes can be diffuse nevus of the iris.
Reasons Your Eyes Might Change Colour
It is very uncommon to think that our eyes can change their colour. But as we know our iris contracts when exposed to bright light and expands in dim light. This process of contraction and expansion changes our eye colour. When the size of the iris changes the pigments present in this also spreads out or gets compressed causing a slight change in the color of our eyes. However, this is not the only reason for the eyes to change their color there are many more. They might be any or some of these:
Age
Babies are generally born with light-colored eyes such as blue or grey but their eyes get darker as they grow. This happens because our eye color is determined by the parent’s genes and the melanin level on our body. As we grow the melanin level increases around the pupil resulting in darker eyes.
Exposure To Sun
Too much exposure to sunlight can make our eyes look darker because it changes the production of melanin around the iris.
Emotions
Our emotions can also change our eye colour because it changes the size of the pupil. When you are happy, angry, or sad hormones are released in the body that changes the size of the pupil. It is found that when you are happy your eyes change colour into a more vibrant colour whereas when you are crying your eyes get reddish and brighter.
Clothing And Make-Up
It is just a perception that clothes and makeup change our eye color because when we wear dark-colored cloth and the same color eye makeup our eyes look more vibrant and brighter.
Diet
The food we consume has a great effect on our eyes. Some examples are:
- Fish- it increases the eye color strength, the change can be permanent.
- Onions– regular intake of onion can change the eye and skin color.
- Nuts-nuts can give you lighter colour eyes. Roasted nuts do not have any effects since their nutrients are destroyed when exposed to high temperatures.
Eye Diseases
Eye colour can also be changed due to some disease or abnormal function in your eyes. If you face any problem like inflammation or itching in the eyes or extreme change in eye colour it is advised to get a medical eye examination done.
How To Change The Eye Color?
Temporarily Change In Eye Color
The most common method to change your eye color temporarily is by wearing contact lenses. Colored contact lens comes in different ways:
OPAQUE: These are solid and non-transparent, resulting in a complete color change. The most popular colors that are available in opaque contact lenses are blue, grey, brown, green, or violet.
ENHANCEMENT: These are transparent and they boost up your natural eye colour. They help to define the edges of your iris and add intensity to your eye colour. For example, if you have jade green eyes these lenses will enhance the colour and will give you emerald eyes.
VISIBILITY: These lenses do not change your eye colour; they have faint flecks of blue or green colour that slightly give you a different eye colour.
However, there are some lenses namely decorative lenses used for fashion accessories which can be harmful to your eyes. If you buy decorative lenses without the prescription you might get defective or unsanitary lenses. The risks involved in wearing these lenses are:
- Blurry vision
- Itchy and burning eyes
- Increase of production of water in the eyes
- Scratch in the cornea i.e. corneal abrasion
- Blindness
- Redness in the eye
- Severe eye pain
Contact a doctor immediately if you have any of the mentioned symptoms. An untreated symptom leads to severe infection that might result in blindness.
Permanently Change In Eye Color
There is a surgery named lens implant surgery which was originally used to treat traumatic eye injuries and medical conditions. However, it is also used to change eye color permanently. In this surgery, the doctor cuts a small part in the cornea and inserts an artificial iris, folded to fit into the slit. Then they unfold the artificial iris underneath the cornea so that it gives a natural look of your eyes. Nowadays this surgery is more famous for a cosmetic reason rather than a medical reason.
According to the doctors, people who go through this surgery for cosmetic reasons might experience some kind of complications including:
- Slight vision loss
- Cataracts, as the clear lens becomes clouded
- Cornea injury
- Swelling in the cornea
- Eye inflammation, redness, and pain
Cosmetic surgery is new and there are not enough researches done on it till now. There is little evidence that this surgery is safe and effective. Therefore, it is advised to talk to the doctor about this surgery and understand all the terms and conditions before going through the surgery.
People change their eye color by wearing contact lenses and surgery. If you have any problem with your eyes you must contact a doctor immediately.
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