After green, gray is the second-rarest natural eye color, with 3% of the worlds population having gray eyes. Gray eyes can also be found among the Algerian Shawia people[69] of the Aurs Mountains in Northwest Africa, in the Middle East/West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. The iris is the colored part of your eye that has multiple layers. Melanin is also responsible for the color of our skin, eyes and hair. In Norway, an estimated 75% of the population . Although people with lighter eye color are generally more sensitive to light because they have less pigment in the iris to protect them from sunlight, there is little to no evidence that eye color has a direct impact on vision qualities such as visual acuity. It often develops as you age and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 55. The iris has two layers. Blue 8.0%. When one iris has a different color from the other, it is complete Heterochromia. [83], Eye color outside of the iris may also be symptomatic of disease. [4][34] Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. Such albinos have pink eyes, as do albino rabbits, mice, or any other animal with a total lack of melanin. Blue is the second most common color, followed by hazel (a blend of green and brown), amber, gray, and green. Additionally, Icelanders are very passionate about supporting their sports teams! 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. Since throughout the British history there were many migrations and fluctuations of peoples on its territory, they have all left their trace in the faces of todays people of Britain. Different SNPs within OCA2 are strongly associated with blue and green eyes as well as variations in freckling, mole counts, hair and skin tone. People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research. What Is the Origin of Blue Eyes in Black People? [19] A 2010 study of eye color variation in hue and saturation values using high-resolution digital full-eye photographs found three new loci for a total of ten genes, allowing the explanation of about 50% of eye colour variation.[20]. Only about 8 % to 10% of the world's population has blue eyes. An article released Monday in the peer-reviewed . Almost all humans have some brown in their eyes. According to medical science, people with light-colored eyes such as blue, green or grey have a higher risk of eye cancer. The hazel eye color is primarily due to the combination of a decent amount of melanin and Rayleigh scattering. Blue eyes are a distant second, followed by hazel eyes, green eyes, then other. This last category includes amber eyes, gray eyes and even violet eyes. About 5% of the worlds population and 18% of Americans have hazel eyes -- a mixture of green, gold, and orange. The iris is made up of two layers of muscle and other kinds of cells. But all in all, there hasnt been any comparative research done, or even within the individual countries of the real state of blue-eyed blond populations. 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. Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin.The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. Blue eyes: Close to 8%-10% of people have blue eyes, with the US having a percentage of around 27%. In addition to having significantly less melanin in their iris than people with brown eyes, hazel eyes or green eyes, blue-eyed individuals don't have very much variation in the part of their DNA responsible for melanin production. Eye color is partially affected by light, especially blue eyes, which get their color specifically by light entering and reflecting out of the eye. Blue eyes have small amounts of melanin while brown eyes are rich in melanin. Brown is the most common eye colour. Blue light may also damage your retinas. Can You Have One Blue Eye and One Brown Eye? 2012;36(2):234-240. doi:10.1007/s00266-011-9793-x, Di Stasio E, Maggi D, Berardesca E, et al. It shows that in most of Scotland and Ireland, as well as a random patch in central Russia, 10% of people are of the ginger genre. Furnace, Boiler or Heat Pump? Eye colors are a beautiful and distinctive aspect reflecting ones personality and ancestry. The colored part of the eye is called the iris. Amber is the third-rarest natural eye color after green and gray, in 5% of the world's population. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. The brown color comes from melanin, a pigment in our eyes that also gives a brown color to hair, skin and other cells. The brown eye colour is in the US the . 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. Two factors affect the color of ones eyes: the pigmentation of the eyes iris and the frequency of light scattering by the murky medium in the iris stroma. That's more in line with the hair color's natural occurrence. Scientists are looking into the possibility of those who have blue eyes being at higher risk for sensorineural hearing loss. At the end, what we got was a blonde map of Europe. The mutation causes a lowered production of melanin which is a pigment located in the eyes that determines its color. Green eyes are common in Europe's Central, Western, and Northern regions. Blue eyes aren't even actually blue. Common Eye Disorders. Blue eyes are also found in Central Asia, North Africa, South Asia, West Asia, and Southern Europe. [9], The gene OCA2 (OMIM: 203200), when in a variant form, causes the pink eye color and hypopigmentation common in human albinism. Hazel (sometimes grouped with amber) Green. [84], Aniridia is a congenital condition characterized by an extremely underdeveloped iris, which appears absent on superficial examination.[86]. Hum Genet. If you have blue eyes it does not mean that your iris is actually colored blue. Since Norway is on the 3 rd place of the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population . The color of our eyes depends on how much melanin is present in the iris. International Journal of Ophthalmology. 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. Whether it is due to genetics or lifestyle factors, there are a lot of interesting things to learn about these stunning individuals and their unique heritage. Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes. For other uses, see. A baby's eyes may be blue during this time, but later change color. Hazel eyes are most common in North Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, and Spain. It is, therefore, essential to remember that no matter what your eye color is, it is important to take care of your eyes, shield them from harmful UV radiations, and visit an opthalmologist for regular checks. A number of causes are responsible, including genetic, such as chimerism, Horner's syndrome and Waardenburg syndrome. [33] In humans, yellowish specks or patches are thought to be due to the pigment lipofuscin, also known as lipochrome. [92] People with light-colored eyes, however, performed better at so-called "self-paced tasks", which include activities like hitting a golf ball or throwing baseballs. Having blue eyes has its advantages. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? Denmark, the Polish coast and the Baltic states), making it in effect an almost entirely blonde-bounded lake. Find an eyecare professional and book online in minutes! Red Hair Is Thicker. Of those four, green is the rarest. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. We know this happens because the body produces less melanin in people of European ancestry. In other words, it's impossible to know for sure if your children will have blue eyes or any other color. "Why Edinburgh residents are likely to be blue-eyed", "Genetic determinants of hair, eye and skin pigmentation in Europeans", "Eye Color Percentage for Across the Globe", "Is there any difference in the photobiological properties of melanins isolated from human blue and brown eyes? Associated with differences between blue and green eyes. Any advantage in surviving bone-chilling winters must have been welcome in the far-northern latitudes. The blue-eyes stereotype: do eye color, pupil diameter, and scleral color affect attractiveness? Indeed, one study found evidence of blue-eyed hunters and gatherers roaming Spain 7,000 years ago. By Verla05. An iris that appears golden contains some melanin even at this early age and is likely to turn from blue to green or brown as the infant ages. Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. Rather than including a blue pigment, they actually just lack the pigment that makes eyes brown. An iris that appears blue under this method of observation is more likely to remain blue as the infant ages. MedlinePlus. All About Vision does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. [5] Neither blue nor green pigments are present in the human iris or vitreous humour. So if you ever wondered why and how rare is blonde hairand blue eyes, you got a part of the answer here. They lower your risk of developing cataracts, for instance. While ocular melanomas may happen at any age, the risk goes up as you get older. Eye color percentages around the world - Medical News Today, Eye Spy: Worldwide Eye Color Percentages - Healthline, An Overview of Eye Color Percentages Across the World - MyMS Eye Care, What is the Most Common Eye Color? Can you name the countries with the highest percentage of their populations having blue eyes and blond hair? Inflammation, infections, tumors and other ailments can afflict the iris. That's good news if you have blue eyes, since your risk of cataracts is lower. This part surrounds the pupil -- the small black hole in the eye's middle that regulates the light. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is no pigment for hazel or green or blue. People with brown eyes have high concentrations of . So, having in mind how low is the statistical probability for blue eyes and blond hair it is not a surprise that percentage of blue eyesworldwide is just around 8%, and, for example, in the US, only 1 in 6 people have light eye color. 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. [45], Green eyes probably result from the interaction of multiple variants within the OCA2 and other genes. It may take up to six months for the gene responsible for creating the pigment in the eyes to activate melanin production. Stay Safe. The lack of pigment leads to red or violet eyes and often problems with their eyesight. 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. Gray is the second-rarest natural eye color after green, with 3% of the world's population having it. Now, geneticists suggest everybody with non-brown eyes can trace their eye color back to that one person. Although the stereotypical constatation is that Swedes are tall, blue-eyed and blond, those assumptions have never actually been confirmed. [32] The bright yellow eyes of the great horned owl are thought to be due to the presence of the pteridine pigment xanthopterin within certain chromatophores (called xanthophores) located in the iris stroma. Blue eyes have almost no tint in the front layer of the iris. 11 Countries with the Most Beautiful Women in Europe20 Countries With The Most Beautiful Women In The Worldblonde hair shadesblonde map of EuropeDenmark blonde hair blue eyesEstonia blonde hair blue eyesfinland blonde hair blue eyesgermany blonde hair blue eyeshighest percentage of blue eyeshow rare is blonde hair and blue eyesIceland blonde hair blue eyesLatvia blonde hair blue eyesList XFinancenatural blond hairnetherlands blonde hair blue eyesNorway blonde hair blue eyespercentage of blondes in Denmarkpercentage of blondes in Estoniapercentage of blondes in Finlandpercentage of blondes in Germanypercentage of blondes in Icelandpercentage of blondes in Latviapercentage of blondes in Netherlandspercentage of blondes in Norwaypercentage of blondes in Swedenpercentage of blondes in UKpercentage of blue eyes in Denmarkpercentage of blue eyes in Estoniapercentage of blue eyes in Finlandpercentage of blue eyes in Germanypercentage of blue eyes in Icelandpercentage of blue eyes in Latviapercentage of blue eyes in Netherlandspercentage of blue eyes in Norwaypercentage of blue eyes in Swedenpercentage of blue eyes in UKpercentage of blue eyes worldwideSlideshowSweden blonde hair blue eyestop 10 countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of populationuk blonde hair blue eyeswhat percent of the world has brown hairwhich country has the most blondeswhich country has the most blue eyesShow moreShow less, 15 Most Racist States in America Ranked By Hate Crimes in 2017, 15 Countries with Most Robberies and Highest Theft Rates in the World, 11 Most Affordable Places to Live in Europe in 2017, 15 Best Places to Travel in November in Europe, Asia and Tropical Destinations, 15 Most Fun, Exciting Countries in the World, 10 Worst Countries in Europe for Human Trafficking, Top 8 Most Profitable Specialty Plants to Grow in a Greenhouse, 7 Most Profitable Cryptocurrencies and Coins to Mine in 2017, Top 25 Best, Most Famous Classic Songs of All Time, 10 Best Vacations for Senior Citizens with Limited Mobility. It was created by the anthropologists Rudolf Martin and Bruno K Schultz in the first half of the 20th century. Since Norway is on the 3rd place of the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation, there are still many darker native Norwegians than it could be expected. With a 75.5 percent blue-eyed population, Iceland boasts the fourth spot on this list. They studied the genes that coded blue eyes in all of these individuals. Image credit: Aleksandar Mijatovic via Shutterstock. [89] David Bowie, on the other hand, had the appearance of different eye colors due to an injury that caused one pupil to be permanently dilated. The answer largely depends on where you live or where your ancestors came from. The mutation, A111T, is found most commonly in Ireland and all . Europe was the epicenter of the blue-eye gene mutation. Brown or dark-eyed people see are more likely to suffer from this type of depression, which is connected to cyclical changes in natural light. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? This form of hearing loss comes from damage to the inner ear or to the nerve going from the ear to the brain. Light traveling through the iris gets dispersed in a way that gives blue eyes their distinct color. Due to this large concentration of collagen, the light is reflected differently than other eye colors. Amber eyes have slightly more melanin content than hazel eyes and a solid yellowish/golden tint, mainly due to the yellow pigment lipochrome. Your blue eyes arent really blue. The collagen is scatted by light to make the eyes look gray. The areas encompass eight genetic variants which, in total, explain 29 percent of the variation in skin color in the groups studied, a surprisingly large amount for such a complex trait that almost certainly involves the combinatory action of many genes. Brown eyes have the highest amount of melanin in the iris, and blue eyes have the least. This is why many babies are born with blue eyes, only to have their eye color change as their irises develop more melanin throughout early childhood. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. One more usual hair color is red, and also green eye color, being among the rarest in the world. Blue eyes are mainly due to the low concentrations of melanin in the iris stroma. [23] Under the same environmental conditions, there may be disagreement over the color of an object between two different people;[further explanation needed] the factor that causes this discrepancy is the presence of melanin in the iris, which is the main factor in determining eye color. Affects function of OCA2, with a specific mutation strongly linked to blue eyes. Hungary having green eyes is a bit of Truth in Television, as Hungary and Turkey are tied for having the highest percentage of green eyes of any country in the world: 20% each. Plus, although this cancer is extremely rare, light-eyed folks are also more susceptible to sun damage from exposure to UV rays. 9. These people make up about 9% of the U.S. population. A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The authors note, "Despite brown eyes ranking at the bottom of our perceived attraction scale, approximately 79% of the world's population sports melanin-rich eyes. It is darkest when we are at our healthiest and naturally fades . "Blue eyes are seen as powerful. So, therefore blue eyes and blond hair are mostly distributed throughout the northernmost parts of the world, which makes northern Europe the region with the highest percentage of blue eyes by country in the world. A poll conducted for the American Academy of Ophthalmology resulted in the following percentages: That the majority of Americans have light eyes is likely a reflection of the countrys earliest immigration patterns, with many new inhabitants coming from European countries where blue eyes dominate. [101], As the perception of color depends on viewing conditions (e.g., the amount and kind of illumination, as well as the hue of the surrounding environment), so does the perception of eye color. In theory, blue eyes may have protected a person from acquiring vision disorders caused by these periods. Priscilla Vu, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. The Greek goddess Athene appears with gray eyes (). A global view of the OCA2-HERC2 region and pigmentation. Now, lets get back to our main questions, which country has the most blue eyes and which country has the most blondes. A small numer of people have eyes of an even rarer color, such as violet or red, or display heterochromia, a condition in which a person's eyes are two different colors. "From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," said Eiberg. January 2008. However, a blue-eyed child is almost certain if both parents have blue eyes. Eye damage from UV and blue light appears to be related to your lifetime exposure to these rays, so wearing sunglasses that block 100% UV (and most blue light) should start during childhood, when possible. Protecting your eyes and getting regular check ups is important no matter the color of your irises.