Moreover, a gray iris may indicate uveitis, while those with blue, green, or gray eyes are at an increased risk of uveal melanoma. Contact an eye doctor if you need medical attention. [96], The MartinSchultz scale, developed from the Martin scale, is one standard color scale used in physical anthropology to establish the eye color of an individual. 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. Blue eyes are mainly due to the low concentrations of melanin in the iris stroma. The eyes of some pigeons contain yellow fluorescing pigments known as pteridines. Brown eyes in an otherwise mostly light-eyed region may point to a genetic leftover and a time in history during which everyone in the world had brown eyes. Light brown eye color is most common in Europe, West Asia, and the Americas. That little DNA blip was blue eye color, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen. Cavin Herbert Eye Institute. 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. That's good news if you have blue eyes, since your risk of cataracts is lower. If there is enough or too much melanin, the eyes are brown and black. A chimera can have two different colored eyes just like any two siblings canbecause each cell has different eye color genes. "From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," said Eiberg. At the end, what we got was a blonde map of Europe. With a 75.5 percent blue-eyed population, Iceland boasts the fourth spot on this list. Gray eyes: A rare and beautiful eye color. Scientists believe that all blue-eyed people can be traced back to a common ancestor, who probably had a genetic mutation that reduced their melanin in the iris. There are two main genes on chromosome 15 that determine a person's eye color: OCA2 and HERC2. This results in the formation of KayserFleischer rings, which are dark rings that encircle the periphery of the iris. They were present in south Siberia during the Bronze Age. [30][31] Amber eyes should not be confused with hazel eyes. As that generation had children and moved around, the blue eye mutation continued to spread across many parts of the globe. Green 2.0%. This one person with a genetic mutation had children, and the trait was passed to the next generation. International Journal of Ophthalmology. [13] To meet the need for standardized classification, at once simple yet detailed enough for research purposes, Seddon et al. About 5% of the worlds population and 18% of Americans have hazel eyes -- a mixture of green, gold, and orange. Studies on Caucasian twins, both fraternal and identical, have shown that eye color over time can be subject to change, and major demelanization of the iris may also be genetically determined. The inheritance pattern followed by blue eyes was previously assumed to be a mendelian recessive trait, however, eye color inheritance is now recognized as a polygenic trait, meaning that it is controlled by the interactions of several genes. Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes. Finland is a country with a rich history and unique culture. Green irises, for example, have some yellow and the blue structural color. The cultural implications are another story. The extensive study on the genetic mutation was carried out by researchers at three Japanese universities; the research concluded that the genetic mutation occurred around 9,000 BC, as a result of various environmental and evolutionary factors. Photochromic lenses are another way to protect blue eyes from UV radiation. 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. The colored part of the eye is called the iris. The mutation occurred between . An estimated 89 percent of Estonians have blue eyes. [27] Green eyes contain the yellowish pigment lipochrome.[52]. Also, hazel eyes may appear to shift in color and consist of flecks and ripples, while amber eyes are of a solid gold hue. Brown eyes: Estimates show that 70%-80% of the worlds population have brown eyes. For example, Asians typically have brown eyes, while Europeans are more likely to have eyes of blue or other lighter hues. [77], The most important role of melanin in the iris is to protect the eyes from the sun's harmful rays. Different SNPs within OCA2 are strongly associated with blue and green eyes as well as variations in freckling, mole counts, hair and skin tone. View Reports-/5-RATE "Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg, associate professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the university. 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. Blue eyes with a brown spot, green eyes, and gray eyes are caused by an entirely different part of the genome. Only 2% of the world's population have green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. The most common eye color is dark brown in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. In the US only 1 out of 6 people have a light (blue) eye colour. Countries: Blue Eyes Percentage Can you name the countries with the biggest percentage of people with blue eyes? Hazel eyes: What determines hazel eye color. [66] 56% of Slovenes have blue/green eyes. Less melanin, the eyes are blue. One possible explanation for the difference in the appearance of gray and blue eyes is that gray eyes have larger deposits of collagen in the stroma, so that the light that is reflected from the epithelium undergoes Mie scattering (which is not strongly frequency-dependent) rather than Rayleigh scattering (in which shorter wavelengths of light are scattered more). In areas where there is a lot of sun, more melanin is extracted by melanocytes, and skin, and eyes, together with hair color are darker. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is no pigment for hazel or green or blue. All eyes in the country were once brown, but a study revealed they are now 48 per cent blue, 30 per cent green and 22 per cent brown. Close to 3% of people in the world have gray eyes. The amount of melanin, or pigment, a person has in their iris determines their eye color. In their study, Eiberg and his team recruited 800 blue-eyed men and women across different countries. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green. About 93 percent of Han Chinese carry the variant, as do about 70 percent of people in Japan and Thailand, and 60 to 90 percent of American Indians, a population descended from East Asians. Its the dominant eye color in people with Native American and African ancestry, as well as those with family trees that trace back to Asia, the Middle East, Central or South America and other nations where brown eye color is the most common. If you inherit blue-eye genes from your parents, it means that your eyes will have less of a pigment called melanin in them. Around 70% to 80% of the people also have blue eyes. Get our editors daily picks straight in your inbox! Have you ever wondered which the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population are? An iris with little melanin appears blue, while those with more little melanin appear green or hazel. Eye color results from the amount of pigment (melanin) you have in the front layer (stroma). Brown eyes result from a relatively high concentration of melanin in the stroma of the iris, which causes light of both shorter and longer wavelengths to be absorbed.[27]. . Eye color in non-human animals is regulated differently. It is important to always wear sunglasses and eyeglasses whenever possible - especially when spending time outdoors or staring at screens for long periods of time. Almost all humans have some brown in their eyes. Vika - a 17 year-old Ukrainian orphan with fiery red hair, bright blue eyes and an everlasting laugh - is setting out into the world for the very first time, all alone. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? [10][11] However, OCA2 gene polymorphism, close to proximal 5' regulatory region, explains most human eye-color variation. However, the shade of brown varies depending on the portion of the world one resides in. 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. All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. The color of our eyes depends on how much melanin is present in the iris. From 6-36 months, cells in the iris start producing melanin and the eye color will change. Some medical conditions affect ones eye color. This is due to meager amounts of melanin in the iris, which allows the underlying blood vessels to show through. Sitting sixth on this list, Denmark 's population is 60 percent blue-eyed. Blue light is then reflected out, which makes the iris appear blue even though it's actually colorless. Eyeglass temples: How do you know if they're the right length? MDQL won't back down. However, a blue-eyed child is almost certain if both parents have blue eyes. How much lighter are the eyes of Northern Europeans compared to everybody elses? [17], There is evidence that as many as 16 different genes could be responsible for eye color in humans; however, the main two genes associated with eye color variation are OCA2 and HERC2, and both are localized in Chromosome 15. Normal eye colors range from the darkest shades of brown to the lightest tints of blue. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. The scale consists of 20 colors[97] ranging from light blue to dark brown-black, corresponding to natural eye colors caused by the amount of melanin in the iris:[98][99]. It's also the story of the bond she fights to maintain with her 10 year-old sister, Arina. . Bookmark Quiz Bookmark Quiz Bookmark. Even though the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population are the European ones, some interesting scientific research have shown that evolution of blondes has probably happened more than once throughout the history of humankind. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) claims that everyone on the planet had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. The iris has two layers. A mosaic can have two different colored eyes if the DNA difference happens to be in an eye-color gene. [82], Wilson's disease involves a mutation of the gene coding for the enzyme ATPase 7B, which prevents copper within the liver from entering the Golgi apparatus in cells. [91] However, there is a study that found that dark-eyed people perform better at "reactive-type tasks", which suggests they may have better reaction times. About half of people living in the U.S. and a higher population in Africa, and Asia are brown-eyed. Eye color is partially affected by light, especially blue eyes, which get their color specifically by light entering and reflecting out of the eye. Speaking scientifically, blue eye color and natural blond hair are cause of recessive genes (actually alleles, which are forms of a gene) combination, as opposed to dominant genes which are characterised by darker eye and hair colors (of course, recessive and dominant genes are not only responsible for eye and hair color, but for other genetic inheritance as well). Similarly, people with hazel, gray and green eyes have varying quantities of tint in the front layer. "They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.". By Verla05. Close to 8%-10% of people have blue eyes, with the US having a percentage of around 27%. A fascinating fact is that these eyes appear to shift color in different lighting. We all know those people whose eyes look nothing like their parents, but there was some cousin or ancestor in their family that they resemble much to. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for this eye color. Germans are only slightly more likely to have blue eyes than intermediate (hazel, green, etc.) Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Black is not an eye color. The answer largely depends on where you live or where your ancestors came from. Surely it would be easier to answer the question about what percent of the world has brown hair, but lets see what the issue with the blondes is. 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. They lower your risk of developing cataracts, for instance. It often develops as you age and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 55. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. 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 . An article released Monday in the peer-reviewed . In Norway, an estimated 75% of the population . Light or medium-pigmented brown eyes can also be commonly found in South Europe, among the Americas, and parts of Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia. 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