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. Sharing the rank of first in the world with Estonia, Finland also has a whopping 89 percent of its population with blue eyes. Now, as Paul Rincon of the BBC reports, genome analysis has revealed that Cheddar Man had dark brown skin and blue eyesa discovery that adds to a growing body of research indicating that the . or brown eyes. Estonia is the country most known for its fair-skinned, blue-eyed population, followed closely by Finland. Iris color and associated pathological ocular complications: a review of epidemiologic studies. "They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.". Blue eyes and blond hair (as well as all others for that matter) are the results of genetic variations. We all know those people whose eyes look nothing like their parents, but there was some cousin or ancestor in their family that they resemble much to. Known for their beautiful, pale blue eyes and milky-white skin, Swedes stand out wherever they go. The color of our eyes depends on how much melanin is present in the iris. Simply put, in order for someone to have blue eyes and blond hair, both of the alleles combined must be recessive in order to show up. The researchers found four key areas of the genome where variation closely correlated with skin color differences. Blue eyes are also found in southern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, North Africa and West Asia. This anomaly, which film producers thought would be disturbing to film audiences, was "corrected" by having Van Cleef wear brown contact lenses. But it is not an unusual thing, since throughout the history of Norway many Norwegians were dark-haired, like Halvdan Svarte (Halvdan the Black) among others for example, who lived in the 9th century and was the father of the first king of Norway. Indeed, one study found evidence of blue-eyed hunters and gatherers roaming Spain 7,000 years ago. It was created by the anthropologists Rudolf Martin and Bruno K Schultz in the first half of the 20th century. Blue-eyed humans have a single, common ancestor. or brown eyes. However, when asked about the attractiveness of specific eyes, there doesn't seem to be a real preference for blue eyes over other iris colors. This article discusses where blue eyes come from and how having blue eyes may increase your risk for certain health conditions. That same study suggested an intriguing possibility: Blue-eyed northern Europeans may have somehow adapted an ability to fend off seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D., also known as the winter blues). Brown is the dominant eye color across vast swaths of Africa and Asia, for instance, but the hues lighten in Europe, where the eyes get bluer as the weather gets colder. The AAO states that those with central heterochromia have iris with two differently colored rings, while those with complete heterochromia have one iris with a different color. About 5% of the worlds population have hazel eyes. On average, they have 90,000 strands, while blondes . The iris is made up of two layers of muscle and other kinds of cells. For example, Asians typically have brown eyes, while Europeans are more likely to have eyes of blue or other lighter hues. Comments. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? Eye color as a risk factor for acquired sensorineural hearing loss: A review. With a 75.5 percent blue-eyed population, Iceland boasts the fourth spot on this list. For the shade of purple, see, "Brown eyes" redirects here. The iris has two layers. This is because - according to research - redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold pain. [4][34] Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. [85] A blue coloration of the sclera may also be symptomatic of disease. Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf. Scientists have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye . Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes, Eye color as a risk factor for acquired sensorineural hearing loss: A review, A global view of the OCA2-HERC2 region and pigmentation. the admirers of blue eyes and fair hair were disgusted . Research has shown that lighter iris colors are associated with: A higher risk of ocular uveal melanoma (a type of eye cancer), No difference in the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. Green 2.0%. 2000-2023 AAV Media, LLC. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye (the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light). It often develops as you age and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 55. However, the genetics and inheritance of different eye colors in humans are quite complex. Now, geneticists suggest everybody with non-brown eyes can trace their eye color back to that one person. The percentage rises to 40 percent if the cat has one blue eye, while upwards of 65 to 85 percent of all-white cats with both eyes blue are deaf. However, approximately 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, the blue-eyed gene mutation spread. Some medical conditions affect ones eye color. Give Orange. Your blue eyes arent really blue. [100] There are three pigment colors that determine, depending on their proportion, the outward appearance of the iris, along with structural color. Redheads have fewer strands of hair on their heads. This part surrounds the pupil -- the small black hole in the eye's middle that regulates the light. Scientists are looking into the possibility of those who have blue eyes being at higher risk for sensorineural hearing loss. Adult eye color is usually established between 3 and 6 months of age, though this can be later. That little DNA blip was blue eye color, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The brightly colored eyes of many bird species result from the presence of other pigments, such as pteridines, purines, and carotenoids. ", "Genetic mutation makes those brown eyes blue", "Blue eyes result of ancient genetic 'mutation', "Distribution of Bodily Characters. While blue eyes may be rare . [3]:9. [28] In many parts of the world, it is nearly the only iris color present. Why Do Europeans Have So Many Hair and Eye Colors? "From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," said Eiberg. Report. [62][63][64], Approximately 8% to 10% of the global population have blue eyes. "Blue eyes are seen as powerful. Like other Scandinavian countries, blond hair and blue eyes are the most common combination. A person may also have more than one eye color, a condition called Heretochromia, which affects less than 1% of people. For example, researchers are looking at the connection between having blue eyes and: Eye health providers remind almost everyone with blue eyes to wear sunglasses to reduce their risk of potential eye cancers like eye melanoma. Many babies born with blue eyes experience a change in color as more pigment develops within the first three years. This would be analogous to the change in the color of the sky, from the blue given by the Rayleigh scattering of sunlight by small gas molecules when the sky is clear, to the gray caused by Mie scattering of large water droplets when the sky is cloudy. Although these conditions cannot permanently change the color of the iris, they generally affect the eyes sclera or cornea. Hazel 5-8%. Image credit: Aleksandar Mijatovic via Shutterstock. Click to read the article and view the infographic. Hazel (sometimes grouped with amber) Green. Find an eyecare professional and book online in minutes! All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. Which country has the most people with blue eyes? That is because we, of course, share much of genetic heritage with all our ancestors and relatives. Symptoms of uveitis include burning and redness of the eyes, blurred vision, headaches, etc. [95] Others have attempted to set objective standards of color comparison. For other uses, see. They studied the genes that coded blue eyes in all of these individuals. Moreover, brown eyes are mainly due to the high concentration of melanin in the iris stroma, which allows the absorption of both shorter and longer wavelengths of light. Now, lets see what else we have on our list oftop countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation. Medicaid: Eligibility and Vision Benefits. Blue eye color is determined by melanin, and melanin is actually brown by nature. Surely it would be easier to answer the question about what percent of the world has brown hair, but lets see what the issue with the blondes is. [95] Classification systems have ranged from a basic light or dark description to detailed gradings employing photographic standards for comparison. Thats because eye color comes from melanin, the same brown pigment that gives color to our hair and skin. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? Blue is the second most common eye color globally, with estimates suggesting that 8-10% of people have blue eyes. Eyeglass temples: How do you know if they're the right length? Activities of melanocytes are responsible for our skin pigmentation, as it is familiar, and also eye and hair color. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, is serving as Zillow's health advisor. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? Persons with albinism have very little or no melanin in the iris. If you have blue eyes it does not mean that your iris is actually colored blue. [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. Because blue eyes contain less melanin than most other eye colors, they may be more at risk of certain damage. On the flip side of these advantages, studies have also shown that having blue eyes can put you at higher risk for developing certain health problems compared to people with other eye colors. The incidence of blue eyes continues to decline among American children. Green eyes are a result of a combination of several factors including light brown pigmentation in the iris stroma, a blue shade due to the Raleigh scattering of reflected light, and the yellowish pigment lipochrome. Blue light is then reflected out, which makes the iris appear blue even though it's actually colorless. They lower your risk of developing cataracts, for instance. 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. Whether you have blue, brown, green, or hazel eyes, always take good care of your eyes, it will keep them healthy for years to come! A person suffering from uveitis requires immediate medical attention to control the inflammation and prevent vision loss. Provincia: bulletin trimestriel de la Socit de Statistique http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0133%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D206, "Melanins: Skin Pigments and Much MoreTypes, Structural Models, Biological Functions, and Formation Routes", "The Claim: Eye Color Can Have an Effect on Vision", Quantification and Correction of Iris Color. If you have ever been curious about the exact percentage of people with blue eyes in different parts of the world, look no further. The color of ones eye is perhaps one of the first things people observe when they see each other. Cataracts are very common as you get older. Yellowing of the sclera (the "whites of the eyes") is associated with jaundice,[84] and may be symptomatic of liver diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis. A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. Taro Aso, Japan's foreign minister, risked upsetting his country's strongest ally by suggesting US diplomats in the Middle East would never solve the region's problems because they have 'blue eyes . Rather, the lack of melanin in the iris results in fibers in the eye absorbing longer wavelengths that come into the eye. Gray eyes are common in parts of Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and among the Algerian Shawia people in Northwest Africa. Time for Heating Systems 101. Both parents have to pass along the blue eye gene in order for their child to have blue eyes. If your current heating system yields cold hands and frozen toes it might be time to upgrade. In addition to genetics, the anatomic structure of the iris can also affect eye color to some degree. [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. [12] A specific mutation within the HERC2 gene, a gene that regulates OCA2 expression, is partly responsible for blue eyes. Brown irises contain more or less melanin. Get our editors daily picks straight in your inbox! In humans, this pigmentation of the iris depends on the melanin concentration in the iris pigment epithelium, it's content within the iris stroma, as well as the cellular density of the stroma. [77], The most important role of melanin in the iris is to protect the eyes from the sun's harmful rays. They are also part of what makes Swedes so unique! 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. At the end, what we got was a blonde map of Europe. American Academy of Ophthalmology. [13][14] These genes are sought by studying small changes in the genes themselves and in neighboring genes, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. Eyes only appear to be these colors because of the way light strikes the layers of the iris and reflects back toward the viewer. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) claims that everyone on the planet had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. 27% with blue . Symptoms include dry, irritated eyes and blurred vision. That's 13 million people, out of the 7.6 billion on Earth. Blue eyes are an inherited trait. If you've got blue eyes, you've got one of the rarest, but most coveted recessive genes in the world. While eye color is not a defining characteristic of a person, it can be interesting to see how the distribution of different colors varies from place to place. This is why hazel eyes can be mistaken as amber and vice versa. The number of cylindrical cells is more than the number of color receptors and reaches about 120 million; cone cells, which are smaller in number than light receptors, have color vision and are divided into three distinct categories, each of which recognizes one of the colors blue, red, and green, allowing the individual to distinguish colors. Protecting your eyes and getting regular check ups is important no matter the color of your irises. People with green eyes may also experience discoloration, however, this only occurs in eyes which are unhealthy. The origin of the gene giving rise to blond hair color has been traced back to the last Ice Age 11,000 years ago. The total number of genes that contribute to eye color is unknown, but there are a few likely candidates. Having blue eyes has its advantages. Just 22 per cent now have brown eyes, while 30 . Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats, and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color. Affects function of OCA2, with a specific mutation strongly linked to blue eyes. There are three types of Heterochromia: complete, sectoral, and central. While researchers can't yet prove eye color indicates a hearing problem, they did find that those with lighter-colored eyes had more significant hearing loss after being exposed to loud noises. 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? So if you ever wondered why and how rare is blonde hairand blue eyes, you got a part of the answer here. In fact, more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts. Denmark, the Polish coast and the Baltic states), making it in effect an almost entirely blonde-bounded lake. However, a blue-eyed child is almost certain if both parents have blue eyes. In Africa dark eyes, skin and hair are the norm, but blue eyes are more common in southern Europe and even more common in northern Europe, where 70 per cent of people have blue eyes. For example, the allele (one of two or more alternative forms of a gene) that is responsible for blue eyes was associated with 49 percent of the sampled remains, suggesting that blue eyes had . Known for their beautiful fair hair and blue eyes, Denmark people stand out from other cultures. How eye color develops and why it changes. About 93 percent of Han Chinese carry the variant, as do about 70 percent of people in Japan and Thailand, and 60 to 90 percent of American Indians, a population descended from East Asians. Eyeglass temples: How do you know if they're the right length? (This same effect makes the sky appear blue.). 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. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. In addition, flash photography can sometimes cause a "red-eye effect", in which the very bright light from a flash reflects off the retina, which is abundantly vascular, causing the pupil to appear red in the photograph. Why do some people have light blue eyes and others have dark blue? [37][39][42][44], Around 18% of the US population and 5% of the world population have hazel eyes. Amber eye color is commonly found in Pakistan and the Balkan region, as well as in Southern France, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and Hungary, and in fewer numbers in the Middle East, Colombia, and the Southern Cone region. Approximately 2% of the world's population has green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. ", Blue eyes in lemurs and humans: same phenotype, different genetic mechanism, SKIN/HAIR/EYE PIGMENTATION, VARIATION IN, 1; SHEP1 - 227220, Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Ask A Scientist, "An Ocularist's Approach to Human Iris Synthesis", "Admixture in Latin America: Geographic Structure, Phenotypic Diversity and Self-Perception of Ancestry Based on 7,342 Individuals", "Iris melanocyte numbers in Asian, African American, and Caucasian irides", "Iris color and intraocular pressure: the Blue Mountains Eye Study", "Induction of tyrosinase gene transcription in human iris organ cultures exposed to latanoprost", "Race, iris color, and age-related macular degeneration", "Iris color as a prognostic factor in ocular melanoma", Blue Eyes Versus Brown Eyes: A Primer on Eye Color. Heterozygous Genotype: Traits and Diseases, Choosing the Best Sunglasses to Protect Your Eyes, hearing loss after being exposed to loud noises. Although hazel eyes may contain specks of amber or gold, they usually tend to have many other colors, including green, brown and orange. According to medical science, people with light-colored eyes such as blue, green or grey have a higher risk of eye cancer. [34] Many animals such as canines, domestic cats, owls, eagles, pigeons and fish have amber eyes, whereas in humans this color occurs less frequently. Dissection reveals that the iris pigment epithelium is brownish black due to the presence of melanin. Finland is the first among the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. [13] To meet the need for standardized classification, at once simple yet detailed enough for research purposes, Seddon et al. Most Asian and African children are born with brown and black eyes. Black is not an eye color. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is no pigment for hazel or green or blue. Brown-eyed individuals, on the other hand, have a lot more variation. Any advantage in surviving bone-chilling winters must have been welcome in the far-northern latitudes. The macula, which is at the retina's center, is susceptible to damage as you age. The higher the melanin concentration in the iris, the darker the eye color will be. Globally, brown is the most common eye color. A chimera can have two different colored eyes just like any two siblings canbecause each cell has different eye color genes. A whopping 70 to 80% of the worlds population have brown or darkly pigmented irises, making brown the most common eye color worldwide. By Verla05. Rather than including a blue pigment, they actually just lack the pigment that makes eyes brown. Will be function of OCA2, with a 75.5 percent blue-eyed population, Iceland boasts the fourth spot on list. 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Hairand blue eyes being at higher risk of certain damage of population very! Eyes being at higher risk for sensorineural hearing loss: a review at... Colour combination of all for human beings genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes contain melanin... With brown and black eyes gene giving rise to blond hair ( as well all... They are also part of the worlds population have hazel eyes our ancestors and relatives the researchers four! And when you meet a red head with blue eyes contain less melanin than most other eye colors, actually! The eye ; there is no pigment for hazel or green or blue. ) of uveitis burning... The inflammation and prevent vision loss for people over 55 the genome where variation closely correlated with skin color.. Because blue eyes ; there is no pigment for hazel or green or blue. ) part of makes... To decline among American children that coded blue eyes and blurred vision, headaches, etc and have... 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Lighter hues the iris and reflects back toward the viewer country has the most important role of in. Out wherever they go redheads have fewer strands of hair on their.. To loud noises everyone on the planet had brown eyes, denmark stand! Planet had brown eyes '' redirects here in order for their beautiful fair hair disgusted. Blue coloration of the 7.6 billion on Earth individuals, on the planet percentage of blue eyes by country brown,!