Most often we pay attention to the eyes when we meet someone. It’s not for nothing that they are called the mirror of the soul. And, of course, we immediately notice their color. Unusual, bright shades of the iris always attract attention. We are used to the fact that the left and right eyes are the same color. But it happens that they are different, for example, brown and green.
Our iris has several primary colors: brown, gray, blue, blue, green, black, olive, amber (walnut). The most common eye color on earth is brown, since its carriers are representatives of two large races that make up the main population of the planet - Negroid and Mongoloid. The rarest color of the iris is green, found in only 2% of the world's inhabitants. There are also different variations, such as turquoise or emerald. But there is another rare category of people who have eyes of different colors. These can be the following options: blue and brown, green and gray and others. This anomaly is called heterochromia, and it occurs in only 1% of the population.
What is ocular heterochromia?
Heterochromia is a different color of the iris in the left and right eyes or heterogeneous coloring of areas of the iris in one of them. Its tone is determined by the concentration and distribution of melanin in the anterior (mesodermal) layer. In the case of heterochromia of the eyes, this pigment is either lacking, or, conversely, it is present in excess.
In the vast majority of cases, this is a congenital anomaly, and only sometimes (for example, with cataracts, trauma to the visual organs, hemorrhage in the tissue of the visual organs, Fuchs syndrome and for other reasons) melanin pigmentation may be disrupted.
Acquired heterochromia can be corrected with surgery, but congenital heterochromia cannot be cured. This disease also has various forms.
Types of heterochromia of the eyes in humans
This pigmentation disorder also has several varieties that differ visually and also have different causes and consequences.
Complete heterochromia
The most common type is when a person has two evenly colored irises of different colors. The most common variations are a combination of brown and green, brown and blue. This is a congenital feature that does not pose a danger to the visual organs. With it, a person sees as well as people with the same color eyes.
Sector heterochromia (partial)
It is caused by the coloring of one of the eyes in different tones. With this form of heterochromia of the iris, there can be any number of options: in half, in quarters, there are wavy borders (a rare case). This is due to the uneven distribution of melanin during the formation of color in the first six months of life.
Heterochromia central
With this deviation, several distinct rings of different colors can be distinguished. It looks quite original, and some people do not even suspect that they have a rare anomaly of iris pigmentation, proud of their unusual eyes.
Metallosous heterochromia
A rare species caused by mechanical damage. Occurs when metal particles (bronze, copper) enter the upper layer of the iris or sclera. Such a foreign body, several microns in size, is insensitive to the eye. Over time, the iron element, being in a humid environment, begins to oxidize and leads to the formation of a pigment, usually a rusty green or light green hue. Even when the scale is removed, the phenomenon does not disappear. Typically, this type of anomaly occurs in people involved in the production of metals.
At what age does eye color become permanent?
According to the physiological characteristics of the structures of the human body, the pigment is produced by special cells - melanocytes. Their activity does not begin immediately after the baby is born, but after some time. Thus, the pigment accumulates gradually, day after day. This is why some parents note that the baby’s eye color changes almost daily. On average, obvious changes in the color of the iris begin from the age of three months.
Most often, the final eye color of a baby can be judged already at six months of age. However, there are cases when changes in the amount of pigment can last up to two or even three years.
Sometimes complete heterochromia occurs in the body - uneven distribution of pigment. This causes the baby's eyes to turn different colors. Partial heterochromia affects the color of different parts of the iris. However, small differences in eye color are not very noticeable.
However, if heterochromia occurs, it is necessary to show the child to an ophthalmologist so as not to encounter the undesirable consequences of this disorder.
It is impossible to predict in advance what color the baby’s eyes will be. From a genetic point of view, this trait is inherited according to Mendel's law: brown-eyed parents give birth to brown-eyed children, and blue-eyed parents give birth to blue-eyed children. However, only time can give an exact answer to this question.
When postpartum pain begins to subside, the baby sleeps peacefully next to his mother, she begins to peer more closely at his facial features and look for similarities with herself or her husband. Of course, the appearance will contain features of both parents, but in the first days of a baby’s life it is very difficult to correctly determine who he is more like, especially since he will change many times. The same goes for the eye color of a newborn. Until what age is it finally formed? Let's look into the issue.
What can heterochromia mean for eye health?
The amount of melanin in the iris, of course, cannot in any way affect the quality of vision. But there are cases when a change in pigmentation is caused by a disease, for example, Fuchs syndrome (which can lead to the development of cataracts or glaucoma), siderosis or chalcosis (copper salts entering the iris).
If you notice a change in its color, then this is a reason to consult a doctor to find out the reasons. This fact indicates that some kind of disturbance has occurred in the functioning of the body, and this is only an indicator. With congenital heterochromia, nothing threatens the eyes.
Heterochromia of a newborn - different eye colors. Fears and concerns.
My story will be about how my husband and I became acquainted with this mysterious, at that time, word, heterochromia.
My button and I were discharged safely home. At home, besides us, our grandparents and my husband were on a business trip at the time and came once a week. The first days of settling in at home passed and I began to study my child. Two arms, two legs, no tail, hairs have appeared, the eyes are squinting, so stop! It seems to me that either one is lighter. Let's go outside in the sunshine. Well, look at mom. One is black, the other is slightly lighter (dark blue). I call my mother into the yard. She looks but doesn't see. Grandfather didn’t see it either; their vision wasn’t what it used to be. We will wait for dad's return.
Different eyes... no, of course I’ve heard of it, but I’ve only seen it in real life on dogs. There are a ton of questions in my head. What's wrong with her vision? Isn't she colorblind? Isn't she in pain? Is it dangerous? Maybe they will change? I'll go to Google. Cataracts, cataracts….. There are even more questions. Mom comes up and reminds us that our former neighbor is a wonderful ophthalmologist, though she’s retired now, but I can call you to ask questions. She told me to calm down and watch for changes in color, it can change within a few weeks, and within a month you should definitely see an ophthalmologist.
As the days and weeks passed, the eye color did change, but remained different. By the month the right one had already become clearly brown, and the left one was blue. Let's go see a doctor. It confirms the formed heterochromia, that is, the eyes will no longer change. But then it was fun. My daughter needs to take a good look at her eyes, since heterochromia is initially a risk group. As soon as the light is pointed, she does not focus her gaze, she immediately squints. 15 minutes of testing is useless. They tried to open their eyes with their hands. God, how she cried. They put some drops in my eyes and told me to come back in half an hour. Same thing again. Now we went to feed her and put her to bed. And what do you think - the result is zero. “Come back in a week.” A week later the same manipulations occurred, and a week later. Then she prescribed us drops for prevention. Next trip in 2 weeks. The baby is already 2 months old. Dad has already joined this campaign. And lo and behold, little eyes looked at us. Everything is fine, everything is fine. But for the second time in 2-3 months, she’s waiting for us to bring her to show off!
Looking back, already at the first appointment all the worst things were ruled out. All that remained was to look at the vision and what else was there. So an experienced doctor is always better than grandparents, acquaintances and, most importantly, symptoms from the Internet.
Now we are growing like this: one of my mother’s eyes is brown, one of my father’s is blue.
Heterochromia of human eyes: how to treat?
Let us say right away that if this anomaly is congenital, then it cannot be treated or corrected. With the help of surgery, you can only get rid of this defect acquired due to any reason. In all other cases, there is a high probability that your iris color will be restored, but this, again, depends on the reason. With the above-mentioned metallic heterochromia, it will no longer be possible to correct it. Despite this, many people consider this feature even piquant and are proud of being different from the rest. Central or sector heterochromia looks especially unusual and interesting.
Many celebrities are also not shy about heterochromia. For example, Mila Kunis, Mila Jovovich, Demi Moore and other famous Hollywood stars have eyes of different colors and believe that this unusual fact to some extent even contributed to their popularity, attracting attention. For filming, they use contact vision correction, and the rest of the time they feel great.
Are there cases when the eye color of newborns remains the same or will it definitely change?
Let's consider the variations in the shades of newborns' eyes, how the color can transform and what characteristics can be given to children with a specific shade.
- Brown. They are observed in children closer to six months of age, and during the newborn period there may be a dark gray tint. Such children are active, shy and hardworking;
- Grey. It can often be observed among northern and eastern peoples. As a rule, this shade does not change; it can only become more saturated with age. These children are calm and characterized by slowness;
- Blue. With age, it darkens or brightens, and may change to a gray tint. As a rule, it is observed in children with light hair and skin. These children love to fantasize and are quite sensitive;
- Blue. Can be found among northern peoples. This shade is obtained due to the huge volume of pigment cells that have already been synthesized in the newborn’s body. These children are extremely sensitive and easily offended. In principle, such people are less likely to experience tearing when cutting onions;
- Green. According to statistics, people with greenish eyes are more common in Ireland and Turkey, and they are characterized by persistence and stubbornness.
Contact lenses for heterochromia correction
The simplest and safest method to correct this violation is to use modern decorative optics. Manufacturers of ophthalmic products offer a huge range of contact tint and colored lenses that can be used to hide this defect. Some people with complete heterochromia (for example, one eye is blue and the other is brown) buy models of the colors they are looking for and change the iris the way they want it. If a person is nearsighted or farsighted, he can purchase lenses with the appropriate diopters. If you have good vision, you can simply select the 0.00 option with zero optical power.
So, heterochromia - a congenital disorder of pigmentation of the iris - does not threaten any health consequences if it is not the result of any internal diseases or mechanical damage. People with this disease themselves have different attitudes towards it. Some people consider this a piquant feature and do not hide it; others wear decorative lenses to hide different eyes. But congenital heterochromia of the iris shell can be called rather a rare, unique gift of nature. Many people born with it are gifted, creative individuals, and the above example proves this.
