Why are there eyes of different colors? Why do people have different eye colors and what does it mean?

Heterochromia is when a person has different colored eyes. The difference in eye color in humans is caused by an excess or deficiency of the pigment - melanin. This rare phenomenon occurs not only in humans, but also in animals, such as cats. A long time ago, people with different eye colors were considered children of the devil, witches, that is, people associated with witchcraft or black magic. They caused fear ordinary people, but it is now known that different colour the eye is not a work of supernatural power.

There are two types of heterochromia: the first is complete heterochromia, and the second is partial heterochromia. In complete heterochromia, the color of one iris is completely different from the color of the other iris. In partial heterochromia, a person has one part of the iris (eye) that is different from the rest of the iris, meaning one eye has two colors. Most often, complete heterochromia occurs in people, less often partial, in approximately 4 people out of 1 million. ,

Heterochromia is a mutation that occurs after fertilization of the egg. But you shouldn't be afraid of heterochromia. It does not affect the health of a person whose eyes are of different colors. A person with heterochromia sees and perceives colors in the same way as a common person, but only he has his own individual zest. By the way, heterochromia is more common in women than among the stronger sex. It also happens that heterochromia becomes acquired. Due to injury or disease (Hirschsprung's Disease, Waardenburg Syndrome), a person acquires a unique phenomenon.

What do Alexander the Great, Mila Kunis, Jane Seymour and David Bowie have in common? Besides the fact that they are all individuals whose names are well known to many people around the world, all four of them have different colored eyes. In other words, they have heterochromia - a fairly rare condition that occurs in less than 1% of the world's population. What is heterochromia - a disease or an exceptional feature?

What causes heterochromia?

Types of heterochromia

Heterochromia in animals

Rice. 4. Animals with complete heterochromia

Most often, complete heterochromia occurs in cats with a partial or complete white color, for example in the Turkish Angora and Turkish Van breeds. According to legend, the favorite cat of the Prophet Muhammad, Muizza, had eyes of different colors. Among dogs, heterochromia is often observed in breeds such as the Siberian Husky. Horses with complete heterochromia usually have one brown eye and one white, gray or blue eye, with heterochromia of the eyes occurring in piebald animals.
As a rule, complete heterochromia occurs in animals: one eye is blue or gray-blue in color, and the other is yellow, copper or brown. Partial heterochromia among animals is a rarer phenomenon; it is characterized by a partial inclusion of a color different from the main color of the iris. More often than in other animals, partial heterochromia occurs in dogs of the Australian Shepherd and Border Collie breeds.
Heterochromia is a condition whose gene is inherited; it does not cause any complications or inconveniences for the animal. Its presence does not affect visual acuity and light sensitivity, and the pupil reacts to light with a sharp constriction, as in ordinary animals. However, breeding animals with heterochromia is not recommended; it is considered a defect in the breed, although some animal lovers specifically select odd-eyed pets for themselves.

Should you worry if you have heterochromia?

Diagnosis and treatment of heterochromia

Famous people with heterochromia

Rice. 5. A whole list of celebrities with one or another type of heterochromia has been compiled.
On the picture (top down) Stars: Kate Bosworth, David Bowie, Jane Seymour, Mila Kunis

The fact that Alexander the Great had complete heterochromia is mentioned by the Greek historian Arrian, who described Alexander as a strong, attractive commander, one of whose eyes was black as night, and the other blue as the sky.
There are many examples of heterochromia among famous literary characters: Woland (“the right eye is black, the left for some reason is green”) from “The Master and Margarita” and Lieutenant Viktor Myshlaevsky from “The White Guard” by Mikhail Bulgakov, tank commander Vasily Semyonov in Janusz Przymanowski’s book “The Four tank driver and dog."
Different eye colors always attract attention, but after reading this article, you will understand that this is most often just an abnormal deviation from the norm, hereditary or acquired.

1 See: Heterochromia iridum // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromia_iridum (access date: 09/22/2014).
2 See: Heterochromia // Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia [Site]. URL: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/ %C3 %E5 %F2 %E5 %F0 %EE %F5 %F0 %EE %EC %E8 %FF (access date: 09.22.2014).
3 See: Neurofibromatosis // Neboleem.net. Medical portal[Website]. URL: http://www.neboleem.net/neirofibromatoz.php (access date: 09.22.2014).
4 See: Heterochromia, or People with different-colored eyes // facte.ru. Educational magazine [Site]. URL: http://facte.ru/man/6474.html#ixzz336UHypus (access date: 09.22.2014).
5 See: What causes different colored eyes? // essilor. URL: http://news.essilorusa.com/stories/detail/what-causes-different-colored-eyes (access date: 09/22/2014).
6 See: List of people with heterochromia // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_heterochromia (access date: 09/22/2014).
7 See: Alexander the Great // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great (access date: 09/22/2014).

Olga Shcherbakova, Veko magazine, 8/2014

The different colors of the iris of the eyes are called heterochromia .

This is a very rare occurrence. Statistics show that only 1% of the population of our planet experiences this phenomenon.

The depth of melanin is responsible for color. At birth, its content in the membrane is minimal, and therefore all babies have light eyes. Heterochromia is a rare case, in which one of the eyes contains more of this pigment than the other.

Heterochromia: photo

In animals this feature is much more common. Quite common in cats white color and dogs of the Siberian Husky breed.

In today's society, the phenomenon of heterochromia is treated as a “gift of God.” This phenomenon is especially popular among fashion models.

Model Sarah McDaniel

Girls, and sometimes boys, often try to change the color of one of their eyes different methods. For example:

1. (subject to following the instructions for their use, this is the best option).
2. . Changes occur after a couple of months, the color becomes dark. However, the drug is intended exclusively for medical use, and with prolonged use, the nutrition of the eyeball is disrupted.
3. Laser correction (change occurs only with brown color irises on blue). It is worth noting that the operation is expensive, and it will be impossible to return your natural shade. In addition, intervention of this kind can lead to double vision and photophobia.
4. Implantation. This method causes enormous damage to health, and irreversible. Possible glaucoma, blindness, inflammation, cataracts and detachment. On top of that, the implant will cost around 8,000 USD.

ICD-10 code

What is ICD-10? This is the 10th revision international classification diseases.

Heterochromia is classified here as “VII. H57.0. Anomalies of pupillary function", or " Q13.2. Congenital anomalies anterior segment of the eyes,” and is considered a pathology. Of course, the phenomenon is unusual, but this does not always mean that there are some deviations.

That is, the ICD does not specifically say that heterochromia is necessarily a condition of diseased eyes, however, it is still worth discussing this with a doctor in order to be completely sure that they are healthy.

Kinds

• complete (if you look at it in general - irises of different colors, however, if you look at them individually, they are correct, without aberrations);
• partial or sectoral (the iris of one eye is painted in several colors);
• central (the shade around the pupil diverges into rings).

Complete heterochromia is more common than partial.

If it occurs as a result of damage to the eyeball, there are such forms as:

• simple;
• complicated;
• metallic (the shell changes in patches, most often of a light green or rusty-green hue).

Causes

Why do people have different eyes? Central heterochromia of the eyes can be like unusual feature, and a serious problem.

Causes of heterochromia:

1. Heredity. This is perhaps the most harmless reason pathology. If at least one of the parents has this feature, there is a 50% chance that it will be passed on to the child.
2. Weak neck from birth sympathetic nerve(simple form). Most often accompanied by oculosympathetic Bernard-Horner syndrome. It is also characterized by:

• skin of different shades;
• the eye slit and/or pupil are narrowed;
• the eyeball in the orbit is slightly displaced;
• there is no sweating on the affected side.

1. Fuchs syndrome (complicated form). Namely, inflammation of blood vessels. It is accompanied by blurred vision, degenerative atrophy of the iris, cortical cataracts (the cortex of the lens becomes cloudy), after which vision worsens and eventually disappears completely.
2. Neurofibromatosis. Disease with characteristic changes, transmitted by inheritance.
3. (metallous heterochromia). Eye contact foreign objects such as graphite or metal shavings. They penetrate upper layer iris, after which pigment oxidation occurs inside it.
4. Actions medicines, which contain the hormone prostaglandin F2a or its analogues.
5. Various neoplasms, such as:

• (a type of skin cancer that very rarely can be localized to the eyes);
• hemosiderosis (decomposition of red blood cells, impaired metabolism of iron-containing pigments);
• Duane syndrome (type);
• juvenile xanthogranuloma (formation of self-resolving histiocytic tumors).

Treatment

1. If the cause is Fuchs syndrome, vitrectomy is performed - removal of scars, blood or pathologically altered tissue from vitreous eyes that are replaced by a balanced one saline solution and silicone oil/gases.
2. If there is metallosis, it is removed foreign body. For inflammation, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs are indicated. It should be noted that even if the irritants are eliminated, the color of the iris may not be restored.
3. In people with congenital heterochromia, this anomaly will remain in any case. It will only help medical intervention, namely - laser correction or implantation. If this is an acquired phenomenon, you can get rid of it over time, however, not in all situations.
4. If heterochromia began to appear as a result of using drugs with the hormone prostaglandin, the solution to the problem is simple and logical - consult a doctor so that he can help you choose other medical supplies for eyes.

Video:

When we meet any person, we first look into his eyes. It is by them that we determine the internal feelings of our interlocutor, evaluate the beauty of their color, and also predict the character and even the fate of a person, but why do people have different eye colors? Let's figure it out.

Why does a person's eye color change from a medical point of view?

The human eye is a complex and very fragile organ. It is the lens through which our brains can perceive colors and information.

The color palette is influenced by both genetic characteristics. Our eyes have an iris of two layers. It is the peculiarity of the distribution of the color pigment and its density that affects the manifestation of the color of the second layer (eyes).

The most popular eye colors:

• brown;
• yellow;
• green;
• blue;
• blue;
• grey;
• black.

Their combinations and exclusions are also possible.

Eye color, for example, brown is influenced by the pigment melanin. The higher its content in the body, the darker the shade. Their variations can be from dark yellow to black.

Also Brown eyes can often be found among people living in hot countries. The percentage of melanin pigment in their body is very high. Often such people have dark hair and tanned brown skin.

But European residents have minimum percentage This pigment is what causes most people to have light skin and eyes.

The average pigment density characterizes the acquisition of two-color eyes:

• gray-blue;
• green-brown;
• blue-green.

The combination of dark and light shades indicates the presence of light brown pigment in the first (outer) layer. Merging a light shade (blue, gray, blue) with brown gives yellow-blue eyes.

The rarest eye color in the world is pure green. It is obtained due to the presence of outer shell melanin is a yellow or brown pigment. But get exactly pure homogeneous green color eye is not always possible, so we often come across different shades of it.

Very interesting and rare color eye - yellow. They are also called "cat" eyes. Such characteristic feature, as the presence of a pigment in the shell of a light yellow hue, allows you to get a deep yellow-brown eye color, which can indeed often be seen in cats.

Why does a person's eye color change - exceptions

It happens that the genetically determined eye color mutates. A person can have different colored eyes (one is blue, the other is green). This is called heterochromia. Its degree is classified as:

• partial;
• average;
• complete.

For some, this is a unique feature to stand out, but for others, on the contrary, it brings discomfort. The best way out with complete heterochromia there will be an acquisition contact lenses need shade.

People with red eyes - albinos - are also classified as color features. They completely lack the pigment melanin in their body. Due to this, the iris shell has a transparent surface, and the eye vessels located in it become visible.

Very rare - purple eyes. Their combination is obtained due to the presence of red and blue pigments. What in symbiosis gives the color purple.

So we looked at why people have different eye colors. As can be seen from everything, color variations directly depend on both genetic factors and residence.

The eyes allow us to perceive as accurately as possible the world. This organ can be called the most complex among all elements in human body. Thanks to their special location, the eyes, in addition to the shape of the object, allow us to perceive objects in volume. They not only receive information from outside, but they themselves can tell a lot. The information can be both the color of the iris and the shape of the eye (pupil). But for some people these meanings are different. Let's look at why this happens.

Every person has a different eye color and shade. Everyone knows this and has already paid attention to it several times. They can be brown, green, blue, green, gray and even amber and purple (pictured). Why does this happen? Why does a person have different eye colors and does it vary widely? In order to deal with this issue, you need to deepen your knowledge of the origin of eye color.

Why do people have different eyes?

At its core, eye color depends entirely on the iris, which is located around the pupil. With its help, the amount of light passing to the photosensitive receptors is regulated. The color of the iris directly depends on the amount of coloring pigment - melanin. At large quantities melanin gives us brown eyes.

But how do they turn out light colors eye? No, this is not because there is more or less melanin in the cells. The thing is that light, falling on the iris, is scattered by special cells, of which there can be many, few or very few. As a result, when reflected from them, the beam returns, and we see that the person’s eyes are blue, gray or green. As a rule, people have the following colors:

Blue eyes;

• amber and violet (very rare).

The iris acquires color primarily to protect the eyes from light. The pigment melanin attracts and absorbs ultraviolet radiation, which destroys cells and the retina. Exactly the same dye is found in our body to protect the skin, but in the eyes it plays the most important role, painting the pupils in bizarre colors.

Eyes of different colors

Some people may experience a pathology in the form of two different colored eyes. This is justified both by a hereditary trait (parents with different iris colors) and various diseases. But whatever the color of the eyes, this value is directly regulated by the amount of melanin.

It happens that the iris does not contain melanin at all. This does not change the quality of vision, and this pathology is called albinism. In this case, ultraviolet radiation passes through the iris and affects blood vessels. As a result, the eye color becomes red or pink. When photographing, exactly the same effect works, because red eyes in the photo are obtained due to the reflection of the color of the blood vessels.

Why are eyes different in shape?

Apart from the fact that people have different eye colors, they also come in different various shapes. Moreover, this occurs simultaneously in the same person. This disease is called anisocria. The pupils have different size. Is concluded this pathology the fact that the muscles of both visual organs have different tone. The causes of anisocria are different:

infection;

various injuries that damage muscle pupil;

tumors various kinds and aneurysms - oculomotor nerve squeezed;

Horner's and Eydie's syndromes (more often observed in females).

Also, different eye shapes can occur with glaucoma and inflammation of the iris. The worst reason is cancer tumor thyroid glands In this case, the sympathetic nerve is pinched and, as a result, the muscle tissue of the eye relaxes, thus dilating the pupil.

What to do with different eye shapes?

It is very important to understand that the appearance of symptoms of anisocria does not just happen. In this case, the consequences can be very different. It all depends on the reason. Therefore, conventional herbal treatment at home will not lead to good results. You should definitely understand this, because by starting the disease and hoping that everything will go away on its own, you risk complicating the situation.

The first step is to go to a specialist who will accurately determine the cause of the pathology and, as a result of the diagnosis, prescribe correct treatment. The whole point is that anisocria may be a manifestation of a more complex and terrible disease. In addition to undermining your health, it poses a danger to life. For this reason, research must be carried out comprehensively.

An experienced doctor will first prescribe a fluoroscopic examination of the neck, MRI and EEG. This solution will eliminate doubts about the presence of a cause in the head area. You should strictly adhere to all the doctor’s instructions, and the result of the treatment will not be long in coming.