What gives the iris its color?
Irises get their color from variations of melanin, a chemical found all over our bodies, including in our skin, hair, and brain cells. In an eye, melanin is found in the iris and in the retina, an area at the back of the eye that translates what we see into images our brains can recognize.
What is the rarest color of iris?
Green eyes
The production of melanin in the iris is what influences eye color. More melanin produces a darker coloring, while less makes for lighter eyes. Green eyes are the rarest, but there exist anecdotal reports that gray eyes are even rarer. Eye color isn’t just a superfluous part of your appearance.
What makes irises the colour they are?
In humans, the pigmentation of the iris varies from light brown to black, depending on the concentration of melanin in the iris pigment epithelium (located on the back of the iris), the melanin content within the iris stroma (located at the front of the iris), and the cellular density of the stroma.
Why do our irises have color?
The color of the iris is caused by pigment in the stroma (the connective tissue of the front layer of the iris), and this color can lighten if the amount of pigment granules in the stroma decreases, or if the granules produce lighter pigment.
Why do my eyes’ iris have 2 colors?
Central heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris; the central (pupillary) zone of the iris is a different color than the mid-peripheral (ciliary) zone, with the true iris color being the outer color. Central heterochromia appears to be prevalent in irises containing low amounts of melanin.
Why are my eyes red around the iris?
Uveitis is inflammation in the eye’s iris and lining. It can cause red eyes, light sensitivity and pain. Left unchecked, uveitis can lead to eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts or even blindness. While prescription eye drops often clear it up, your eye doctor may need to run tests to find out what’s causing it.
