Does a person have naturally purple eyes? Photo

Some interesting facts about eye color

The most common eye color around the world is brown.
The rarest eye color is green - less than 2% of the total population of the Earth.
Turkey has the highest percentage of citizens with green eyes, namely: 20%.
For residents of the Caucasus, blue eye color is the most characteristic, not counting amber, brown, gray and green.
More than 80% of Icelandic people have either blue or green eye color.
There is such a phenomenon as heterochromia (from the Greek ἕτερος - “different”, “different”, χρῶμα - color) - different colors of the iris of the right and left eyes or unequal coloring of different parts of the iris of one eye.

Genetic studies show that the pigment component of the iris is controlled by 6 different genes. They interact with each other according to certain clear patterns, which ultimately leads to a wide variety of eye colors.

There is an established opinion that eye color is inherited according to Mendel's laws - eye color is inherited in almost the same way as hair color: dark color genes are dominant, i.e. the distinctive features (phenotypes) encoded by them take precedence over the distinctive features encoded by the lighter color gene.

However, the idea that brown-eyed parents can only have brown-eyed children is a fairly common misconception. A brown-eyed couple may well have a blue-eyed child, especially if one of the close relatives has a different eye color). The fact is that a person copies two versions of one gene: one from the mother, the other from the father. These two versions of the same gene are called alleles, with some alleles in each pair being dominant over the others. When it comes to genes that control eye color, brown will be dominant, however, a child can also receive a recessive allele from either parent.

The father and mother have blue eyes - 99%, that the child’s eyes will be exactly the same color or light gray. Only 1% gives the chance that your baby will have green eyes.
If one of the parents has blue eyes and the other has green eyes, then the child’s chances of having both eye colors are equal.
If both parents have green eyes, then there is a 75% chance that the baby will have green eyes, a 24% chance of blue eyes, and a 1% chance of brown eyes.
The combination of blue and brown eyes in parents gives a 50% to 50% chance for the child to have one or the other eye color.
Brown and green parental eyes are 50% of children's brown eyes, 37.5% of green eyes and 12.5% of blue eyes.
Both parents have brown eyes. In 75% of cases, this combination will give the baby the same color, in 19% - green, and only in 6% can babies be blue-eyed.

Brown eyes

In this case, the outer layer of the iris contains a lot of melanin. Therefore, it absorbs both high-frequency and low-frequency light, and the reflected light in total produces brown. Brown is the most common eye color in the world. It has a widespread distribution in Asia, Oceania, Africa, South America and Southern Europe

Brown eyes can often be lighter shades, or darker, closer to black. The shade depends not only on the innate eye color, but also on the person’s mood at a given period of time. There are brown-green eyes, gray-brown-green eyes, dark brown eyes.

Composite

The iris is a discrete and movable diaphragm of the eye with a center in the form of a pupil. Located behind the cornea. The shade of this shell is determined by the amount of melanin, the pigment responsible for the color of not only the eyes, but also the skin, and its thickness.

Composite:

Light. The pupil reacts to light differently, causing the eye color to change. A change in the size of the pupil is a manifestation of this reaction: a constricted pupil; pigments in the membrane, through concentration, cause darkening of the eyes; dilated pupil pigments stimulate the brightening of the eyes through dispersion.
Emotional component. A person's experience of certain emotions can cause a change in eye color.
Hereditary component. For each person, heredity is determined by a number of factors: the color of the blood vessels located in the iris: from blue to gray;
the presence of black or brown pigments in the shell;
yellow substances in the membrane in liver diseases;
albinism.

A combination of factors determines eye color. Scientists around the world are trying to determine the rarest eye color in the world. Research in this direction has allowed us to draw certain conclusions.

Most people on earth have brown eyes. Only two percent of the world's population has green eyes. Scientists find it difficult to answer which eye color is considered the rarest, due to the incredible variety of shade options.

Blue eyes

Unlike blue eyes, in this case the density of collagen fibers in the stroma is higher. Since they have a whitish or grayish tint, the color will no longer be blue, but blue. The higher the fiber density, the lighter the color.

Blue eye color is the result of a mutation in the HERC2 gene, due to which carriers of this gene have reduced melanin production in the iris of the eye. This mutation arose approximately 6-10 thousand years ago.

Blue and dark blue eyes are most common among the European population, especially in the Baltic states and Northern Europe. In Estonia, up to 99% of the population have this eye color, in Germany - 75%. In Denmark in the 1970s, only 8% had dark eyes, while now, as a result of migration, this figure has risen to 11%. According to a 2002 study, among the Caucasian population of the United States born in 1936-1951, carriers of blue and blue eyes make up 33.8%, while among those born in 1899-1905 this figure is 54.7%. As of 2006, that figure had dropped to 22.3% for today's white Americans. Blue and blue eyes are also found in the Middle East, for example, in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran. They are also common among Ashkenazi Jews, for example, among Ukrainian Jews the percentage of bearers of these colors is 53.7%

Primary colors

Eye statistics identifies eight colors:

Blue . Usually seen in newborns. Later the color changes. Eye statistics record only a small number of children whose color remains the same.
Blue . Mostly observed in Europe. Statistics of blue eyes in Estonia – 99%, Germany – 75%. Among the Caucasian part of the American population, the number of owners of blue/blue color ranges from 22 to 33%. It is also present in the Middle East and Asia.
Green. Its speakers mainly live in Europe. In some areas, green-eyed women dominate. The statistics of green eyes does not exceed 2% on the planet. Most of the representatives live in Holland and Iceland – 80%.
Grey . Usually found in Europe, Africa. Eye color statistics in Russia include about 50% of gray-eyed people.
Olive . Found in 17% of the world's inhabitants. Eye color statistics indicate that representatives of the group are found in Europe and Africa.
Amber . Statistics of people's eye color include 2% of its carriers. Representatives of the group live on different continents.
Black . It dominates mainly among the Mongoloid race in Asian countries.
Brown . It is considered the most common eye color in the world. Found in Europe, Asia, Africa, America. About 30% of such people live in the Russian Federation. Eye color statistics in Ukraine reach 50%.

Wikipedia also contains the color yellow. However, it is rarely observed in nature. The yellow color is usually caused by kidney disease.

Grey eyes

The definition of gray and blue eyes is similar, only the density of the fibers of the outer layer is even higher and their shade is closer to gray. If the density is not so high, then the color will be gray-blue. The presence of melanin or other substances produces a small yellow or brownish impurity. The gray color is presumably due to Mie scattering on the fibers of the outer layer, which, unlike Rayleigh scattering, is less dependent on wavelength; as a result, the spectrum of light reflected from the iris is closer to the spectrum of the source than in the case of blue or blue eyes.

Gray eye color is most common in Eastern and Northern Europe. It is also found in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Northwest Africa.

Blue eyes

The outer layer of the vessels of the iris, formed from collagen fibers, is dark blue in color. If the fibers of the outer ectodermal layer of the iris are characterized by low density and low melanin content, then it has a blue color. There are no blue or cyan pigments in the iris and in the eye at all.

The blue color is the result of light scattering in the stroma. The inner layer of the iris, unlike the outer one, is always saturated with melanin and has a black-brown color. As a result, part of the high-frequency component of the spectrum of light incident on the eye is scattered in the turbid environment of the stroma and reflected, and the low-frequency component is absorbed by the inner layer of the iris. The lower the density of the stroma, the richer the blue color. Many babies have this eye color in the first months of life. This blue is deeper, and occasionally there are cases with a bias towards purple.

What determines the color of a person's eyes?

The basis of color is the pigment in the iris. The more it is, the darker the color.

Which eyes are there more according to statistics? Dark-eyed people are predominantly found on earth. The reason is genetics. A child can be dark-eyed even if only the mother or father had this color.

For example, in Belarus there are 12% of dark-eyed people, 44% of light-eyed people, and 44% of mixed color people. Belarusians in the northeastern regions are the darkest-eyed

Green eyes

Green eye color is determined by a small amount of melanin. The outer layer of the iris contains the yellow or light brown pigment lipofuscin. In combination with the blue or cyan color resulting from scattering in the stroma, the result is green. The color of the iris is usually uneven and there are many different shades. The red hair gene may play a role in its formation.

Pure green eye color is extremely rare. Its carriers are found in Northern and Central Europe, less often in Southern Europe. According to studies of the adult population of Iceland and Holland, green eyes are much more common in women than in men.

Swamp eyes

Swamp eye color is a mixed color. Depending on the lighting, it can have a golden, brown-green, or brown tint. The outer layer of the iris has a fairly moderate amount of melanin, so the hazel color is a combination of the brown color produced by the melanocytes and the blue or cyan color. Yellow pigments may also be present. Unlike amber, in this case the color is not monotonous, but rather heterogeneous. In some cases, the eye color may appear not so much brown-green, but rather light brown with a yellow-green tint.

Yellow eyes

Yellow eye color is extremely rare. This only happens when the vessels of the iris contain the pigment lipofuscin (lipochrome), a very pale color. But in most cases, this eye color is associated with kidney and liver disease.

Eye color scale

The classification of eye shade is determined using certain color scales. The Bunak scale, for example, gives the “title” of the rarest color to yellow. And it divides all types of shades into several types, subdivided into dark, light, and mixed types. All types, according to this scale, have their own set of characteristics. It is worth noting that according to the Bunak scale, blue eye color is also considered rare. Indeed, blue and yellow shades of the iris are extremely rare. Moreover, it is impossible to determine with one hundred percent accuracy the territory where the number of carriers of such colors is greatest.

In anthropology, there are several systems for classifying iris color. In Russia, the V.V. Bunak system is better known, in the West - the Martin-Schultz scale.

Bunak scale

Type 1. Dark. Option 1. Black. Option 2. Dark brown. The coloring is uniform. Option 3. Light brown. The coloring is uneven. Option 4. Yellow. A very rare option. Type 2. Transitional, mixed. Option 5. Brown-yellow-green. Option 6. Green. Option 7. Gray-green. Option 8. Gray or blue, with a brown-yellow frame around the pupil. Type 3. Light. Option 9. Gray. May be of different shades. Option 10. Gray-blue. The coloring is uneven. Option 11. Blue. Option 12. Blue. Rarely seen.

Martin-Schultz scale

1-2 - blue and cyan (1a, 1b, 1c, 2a - light shades, 2b - dark). 3 - gray-blue. 4 - gray. 5 - gray-blue with yellow-brown splashes. 6 - gray-green with yellow-brown splashes. 7 - green. 8 - green with yellow-brown splashes 9-11 - light brown. 10 - swamp. 12-13 - medium brown. 14-15-16 - dark brown and black.

Incredible facts

Brown-eyed people are more trustworthy than blue-eyed people

, scientists have found.

However, as researchers from Charles University

in Prague, it is not the eye color itself that inspires confidence. When a group of volunteers were shown photographs of the same men whose eye color had been artificially changed in different photographs, they were considered more reliable.

This suggests that it is not the eye color itself that inspires confidence, but the facial features inherent in brown-eyed people

For example, brown-eyed men tend to have a rounder face with a wide chin, a wider mouth with raised corners, larger eyes and closer eyebrows. All these qualities indicate masculinity and therefore inspire confidence.

In contrast, blue-eyed representatives of the stronger sex more often have facial features that are perceived as a sign of cunning and changeability. These are, as a rule, small eyes and a narrow mouth with drooping corners.

Women with brown eyes are also considered more trustworthy than those with blue eyes, but the difference is not as pronounced as for men.

One of the first features that attracts us to a person is their eyes, and especially their eye color. Did you know what eye color is considered the rarest, or why eyes can be red? Here are some interesting facts about human eye color.

Varieties

Here is a list of rare eye colors: from less natural to more natural shade.

Purple eye tone. The statement that it is not natural for a person to have a purple eye color given by nature is false. The purple hue of the eyes is obtained by mixing blue and red tones. Genetics explains this phenomenon as follows: the tone of the eyes, as close as possible to purple, is a manifestation of the interpretation of the blue palette. Scientists have proven that residents of high altitude areas belonging to the lands of North Kashmir are characterized by a violet eye palette: it can be the color of ultramarine or hyacinth.
Green eye tone. The eyes acquire this tone due to the presence of a small proportion of melanin. An ensemble of melanin with a yellow or light brown pigment called lipofuscin, concentrated in the upper layer of the membrane, forms the green eye color. Uneven green color is considered a natural phenomenon.
Green eye tones are considered to be the redhead gene. Monochrome green tone is considered a rare phenomenon in the eye color palette. Europe is considered to be the territory where people of this color live. Scientists conducted a study on populations over twenty-five years of age living in Spain and Holland. As a result of a scientific project, it turned out that women have green eyes more than men.
The color range of green shades includes absolutely green, dark, light green, emerald, herbal, jade, bluish-green and brown-green tones.
Red eye tone.
Encyclopedic reference books often contain information that people with albinism have red eyes. These data are exceptional, since the traditional eye colors of albinos are blue or brown. The phenomenon of albinism is explained by the fact that the layers of ectoderm and mesoderm of the iris do not contain the pigment melanin. Responsibility for the color appearance of the eyes in this situation lies with the blood vessels and collagen fibers of the membrane. A tone close to purple is formed as a result of mixing the eye color, which is close to red, and the stroma of a blue tint.
Amber eye tone.
Golden eye color. This type of eye color palette is a variant of the brown color. Its characteristic properties are the clarity and brightness of a warm golden hue. Absolutely amber eye tone is a rare phenomenon in nature. Monochrome coloring with rich tones of yellow and brown gives an exotic look. The palette of interpretation options for this tone is multifaceted: from copper with a dash of red to green with gold. Traditional options are tones close to yellow with segments of brown and golden with brown splashes.
Black eye tone. This range of eye color is explained by the high concentration of coloring pigment. The frequency of occurrence of this black is higher than those listed.
Due to the high concentration of melanin in the black iris, the light falling on it is absorbed to the maximum. Black eyes are characteristic of representatives of the Negroid race. The territorial localization of such people is in lands belonging to East and South Asia. The black palette is represented by the following types: blue-black, resin, dark almond, rich black.

A special eye color can be not only a consequence of heredity and genetics, but also the result of a malfunction of these components. It happens that rare tones are the result of congenital disorders.

Congenital or acquired eye disorders are called heterochromia. The external manifestation of the disorder is eyes of different colors.

Types of heterochromia:

absolute;
partial (the difference in tone is characteristic of any segment).

This diagnosis is popular among animals, but is rare in humans.

Eye color changes

Eye color can change throughout a person's life. African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians are typically born with dark eyes that rarely change. Most Caucasian children have light colored eyes at birth: blue or blue. But over time, as the child develops, the cells in the iris of the eye begin to produce more melanin pigment. Typically, a child's eye color changes by one year of age.

, but can be established later by the age of 3, and less often by 10-12 years.

In rare cases, changes in eye color throughout life may also indicate certain diseases, such as Horner's syndrome, some forms of glaucoma and others.

The connection between eye color and character

Brown. It is the leader among the primary colors. Representatives of the group are trusted more, and it is easier for them to make friends. Men often have a round face, a massive chin, a wide mouth, and large eyes. The described parameters indicate masculinity, which evokes not only sympathy, but also favor from women.

Eye statistics note that brown-eyed men are distinguished by their charm, initiative, and inconstancy. They often strive for leadership and power. The recognition of those around them only fuels them. Young people with light shades love to dream. Owners of dark shades radiate charm and are liked by women. Brown-eyed men are sometimes the initiators of conflicts. However, they quickly cool down and forgive the offenders. Such men often indulge the whims of the woman they love.

Brown-eyed representatives of the fairer sex are considered reliable and friendly. They often have a straight nose, sensual lips, and a barely prominent chin. Such women usually have expressive eyes. They have pronounced magnetism.

Cinnamon color has many shades - from wet sand to almost black. The shade is clearly visible during the day. Gray blotches may indicate a person's vulnerability. Sparkles indicate the determination and adventurism of their owner.

What eye color will the child have?

The formation of eye color is a complex process that is determined genetically. There are many combinations of genes that we get from both parents that determine the eye color you will have. Here is the most simplified diagram that will help you find out the eye color of your unborn child.

According to scientific research and statistical data, the rarest eye color is green. Its owners make up only 2% of the total population of the planet.

The green tint of the iris is determined by a very small amount of melanin. Its outer layer contains a yellow or very light brown pigment called lipofuscin. In the stroma, a blue or light blue tint is present and dissipated. The combination of a diffuse shade and lipofucin pigment gives green eye color.

As a rule, the distribution of this color is uneven. Basically, there are a lot of shades of it. In its pure form it is extremely rare. There is an unproven theory that green eyes are linked to the red hair gene.

Purple eye color - myth or reality?

A rarity of amazing beauty – “violet-colored eyes”.
Very rarely do people have this amazing natural iris color.

There is not much less melanin in it than in blue, but the result is a fascinating shade.

There are several theories, scientifically plausible and less credible, based more on legends from the past than on scientific evidence. Let's take a closer look at them.

Origin of Alexandria

Adherents of this semi-mystical theory believe that in one small village on the banks of the Nile there was a flash of light in the sky.
The reason is not given. As a result, the inhabitants of this settlement began to produce descendants with violet eyes and pale skin.

A girl named Alexandra became the first such child. It is said that her eyes were light gray at birth, but over the next 6 months they turned purple. In the future, she had four daughters with the same eyes, who lived to be 100 years old.

Today it is not possible to confirm this explanation of the mutation with medical facts. This explanation of the phenomenon of violet eyes can only be taken on faith or rejected as a fable. In any case, the owners of violet eyes are given an image of mystery, a kind of mysticism.

Marchesani syndrome

This is the scientific version of the origin. If she is to be believed, purple eye color may be a mutation due to a rare disease called Marchesani Syndrome.

Patients are characterized by three signs:

small stature,
subluxation of the lens,
brachydactyly or underdeveloped limbs.

However, among the direct symptoms of this syndrome, the effect of violet eyes is not mentioned in any publication.

Marchesani syndrome is named after the German ophthalmologist who identified it as an independent disease in 1939. This is a syndrome of microspherophakia-brachymorphia, with congenital hyperplastic mesodermal dysmorphodystrophy. Patients experience glaucoma, brachycephaly, and shortening of the neck and trunk with age.

Albinism

Albinism is a rare genetic autoimmune disease characterized by a complete absence of melanin.
Because all the blood vessels can be seen through the iris, the eye color of people with this disease appears red.

There have been recorded cases where blue collagen in the eyes of such people is reflected a little more strongly than is usually the case. Hence the purple eyes.

The health of people with albinism is constantly at risk. These people cannot tolerate a lot of sunlight and tanning is contraindicated for them.

Why green eyes are rare

In an attempt to find out why green eye color is rare today, one should turn for possible reasons to the Middle Ages, namely to the time when the Holy Inquisition was a very influential institution of power. According to her doctrines, those with green eyes were accused of witchcraft, considered accomplices of dark forces and burned at the stake. This situation, which lasted for several centuries, almost completely replaced the already recessive green iris gene from the phenotype of the inhabitants of Central Europe. And since pigmentation is an inherited trait, the chance of its occurrence has decreased significantly. So green eyes became an infrequent occurrence.

Over time, the situation has leveled out somewhat, and now green-eyed ones can be found in Northern and Central Europe, and sometimes even in the southern part. Most often they can be seen in Germany, Scotland, Iceland and Holland. It is in these countries that the green eye gene predominates and, interestingly, is observed more often in women than in men.

In its pure form, namely the shade of spring grass, green is still a rarity. Mostly there are a variety of variations: gray-green and marsh.

In the countries of Asia, South America and the Middle East, dark eyes predominate, mostly brown.

If we talk about the distribution and predominance of individual shades of the iris on the territory of Russia, the situation is as follows: those with dark eye color account for 6.37%, transitional type eyes, for example, brown-green, have 50.17% of the population, and representatives of light eyes - 43.46%. These include all shades of green.