Hazel Eyes and All You Need to Know about Them
Hazel eyes are like little orbs of magic made up of different colors.
Samuel Richardson said, “When words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal.”
Almost every day, we go on about our lives, meet new people and fail to notice the most important feature of the human face. The eyes.
Every expression, every feeling, every emotion lies in the eyes. While all eye colors are beautiful, I am going to focus to on hazel eyes and the magic they can work.
What Color are Hazel Eyes?
The first thing to know about Hazel is that it’s not an individual color. It’s actually a blend or coming together of several colors.
Mostly, it’s considered a color which shows a combination of browns, greens, and blues.
Hazel eyes are unique and come off as striking and charming, especially considering they are highly uncommon, and a godsend since no makeup is required to highlight the hazel color which is a beautiful concoction of various colors.
Hollywood is blessed with hazel-eyed beauties such as Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, David Beckham and pure perfection that is called Channing Tatum.
Hazel eyes are the result of a combination of moderate amounts of melanin in the iris’ anterior border layer and Rayleigh scattering.
The hazel color can, at times, be confused with absolute green or brown. But, it’s a mixture of these colors, and sometimes includes the color blue in the mix.
Hazel Eyes Genetics
The pigment accountable for the eye color is called melanin, which also determines skin color. Many babies are born with blue eyes because of the lack of melanin in their irises.
However, during the first few years, the number of melanin increases, which results in their eye color turning green, brown or a compilation of these two: hazel.
Babies whose eye color turns from blue to brown develop a significantly higher amount of melanin than the ones whose eye color turns from blue to hazel.
Light Absorption also plays a vital role in the color that is projected in the eye because there are no blue, green or hazel pigments in the eye.
Just melanin, which is a dark brown, in different amounts. So how can such dark pigment result in light colors like blue, green and hazel?
This is because melanin absorbs light, and this light is scattered and reflected by the iris; some colors scatter more easily than others.
A high concentration of melanin will result in more light being absorbed, which means less reflection from the iris.
The outcome is a brown color. But with a low concentration of melanin, very little light is absorbed, and more is reflected back by the iris. And this results in lighter eye colors such as green or hazel.
Are My Eyes Hazel or Green?
Green Eye
Green eye color is not simply the outcome of the pigmentation of the iris.
The green eyes contain a yellowish pigment called lipochrome.
The color green is a result of an amber or light brown pigmentation in the stroma of the iris.
This stroma of the iris usually has a low concentration of melanin along with a blue hue created by Rayleigh scattering which refers to the amount of light scattered and reflected back by the iris.
Hazel Eye
Hazel EyeWhile hazel eyes are also due to a consolidation of Rayleigh scattering and the amount of melanin present in the iris, they often appear to switch in color from brown to green.
This is how people sometimes mistake hazel eyes for amber or light brown eyes.
Hazel is a combination of various colors that make the eye project a color that is close to that of a hazelnut shell.
Fast Facts about Hazel Eyes
Hazel is a fascinating color, and it looks dazzling in the eyes. Here are some facts about hazel eyes:
- Hazel is not an independent color. It’s a mix of various colors like brown and gold or green and blue.
- Research suggests that 74% of hazel eyes look like they have a brown ring around the pupil.
- No two pair of hazel eyes are identical. Some pairs have lighter shades of green, in which the brown color in the eye is more visible comparatively.
- The intensity of hazel eyes changes with the moods, feelings, or emotions that an individual might be experiencing. Sometimes the color turns brown or the shade of their eye color appears to be brighter or darker.
- Environment influences like sunlight, weather changes, and artificial lighting can change the appearance of the hazel color. This is because hazel eyes are more reflective than eyes of other colors.
- Hazel eyes are more common in natives from South and East European places, as well as Britain. However, any race can have hazel eyes. There is no exclusivity to hazel eyes.
- People with hazel eyes are likely to look more attractive in general. As we know that hazel is a unique color, people possessing hazel eyes also appear to have a lot of confidence.
- Hazel eyes have little melanin, which can put them at the risk of developing certain ocular cancers such as inter-ocular melanoma. It is advised to wear sunglasses with adequate UV protection.
Related Read: Pain Behind Eye: Common Causes and Natural Treatments
Diseases that Affect Hazel Eyes and Precautions to Take
As hazel is a light color, people with hazel eyes are more prone to contracting uveal melanoma than people with dark eyes. People with an extremely light iris color are prone to developing macular degeneration.
A disease called Wilson’s disease causes the eye color to change. It’s a genetic mutation that keeps the copper from being processed properly. The copper instead gathers in the body’s tissues.
Some health precautions for hazel eyes are as followed:
- You should wear sunglasses with a considerate amount of UV protection when going out in the sun.
- If you notice an unusual change in your eye color, you should visit an optometrist and get yourself checked for underlying conditions like glaucoma degradation.
Tips for People with Hazel Eyes
If you want to enhance your hazel eyes, you can apply eyeshadow to make the color of your eyes stand out.
The most enhancing eyeshadows that work with hazel eyes are chocolate brown, gold, and green eyeshadow. Some more ways to enhance your hazel eyes are:
Hair Color
Who doesn’t want a hair color that makes the color of their eye pop?
Hair dyes like brown, shades of blonde and red not only look flattering but also add glam to your hazel eyes. The color of your hair naturally makes your eye color look bold.
Eye Contacts
If you’re not genetically blessed with hazel eyes, then you can always go for colored contacts.
However, consult your doctor first and certainly don’t borrow contacts from a friend or you’ll be welcoming an eye infection.
Myths and Misconceptions about Hazel Eyes
The supposed myth about hazel eyes changing color according to their mood and surroundings is true. People with hazel eyes are also considered fun-loving and unpredictable because of this characteristic.
The color of their eyes also depends on the makeup and the clothes they wear.
Their eye color will also change depending on the light that is being received by their eyes due to the simple phenomena of Rayleigh scattering that we talked about earlier.
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Sources:
“Hazel Eyes,” Eye Doctor Guide web site, last accessed January 29, 2018; http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/Eye-Color/hazel-eyes-eye-color.html.
“10 Facts About Hazel Eyes,” Thrombocyte web site, last accessed January 29, 2018; http://www.thrombocyte.com/hazel-eyes-color-meaning/.
