The origin of the gene giving rise to blond hair color has been traced back to the last Ice Age 11,000 years ago. Finland is the first among the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. After green, gray is the second-rarest natural eye color, with 3% of the worlds population having gray eyes. Researchers at the American Academy of Opthalmology have stated that everyone on planet earth had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. The researchers found four key areas of the genome where variation closely correlated with skin color differences. Amber eyes have a little more melanin than hazel eyes, and still account for approximately 5% of the population. Brown eyes have the highest amount of melanin in the iris, and blue eyes have the least. Just 22 per cent now have brown eyes, while 30 . Brenda J Bradley, Anja Pedersen, Nicholas I Mundy: Piquet-Thepot M.-M. - Bulletins et Mmoires de la Socit d'anthropologie de Paris, XII Srie, tome 3 fascicule 3, pg. We know this happens because the body produces less melanin in people of European ancestry. Trauma and certain medications, such as some prostaglandin analogues, can also cause increased pigmentation in one eye. Blue is the most common eye colour in Britain, researchers found. SEE RELATED: How color contact lenses can make anyone's eyes blue. 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). Because blue eyes contain less melanin than most other eye colors, they may be more at risk of certain damage. In Britain, for example, a 2014 study found that green was more prevalent than brown 30 percent to 22 percent although most were blue, 48 percent. Blue eyes are also found in southern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, North Africa and West Asia. [12], Eye color is an inherited trait determined by multiple genes. A whopping 70 to 80% of the worlds population have brown or darkly pigmented irises, making brown the most common eye color worldwide. First, one can have blue eyes as a result of a genetic mutation. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. See More by this Creator. [24], Almost all mammals have brown or darkly-pigmented irises. The cultural implications are another story. Close to 3% of people in the world have gray eyes. 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. Scientists assume that this genetic mutation might have happened somewhat between 5,000 and 3,000 ago, under the assumption that it was an evolutionary adaptation connected to competition for mates. In severe forms of albinism, there is no pigment on the back of the iris, and light from inside the eye can pass through the iris to the front. Hum Genet. Sorry, no results has been found matching your query. Eye color not only affects ones personality but also reflects ones ancestry, the melanin concentration in irises, and even ones current health condition. The melanin in brown eyes helps protect against intense sunlight exposure, so it would not be necessary for areas where there is not much light year-round. More than 80 percent of the inhabitants of Estonia and Scandinavian countries have blue eyes. The answer largely depends on where you live or where your ancestors came from. This part surrounds the pupil -- the small black hole in the eye's middle that regulates the light. Stay Safe. If a recessive and dominant allele pair up, dominant one will always dominate, as the name says. Plus, although this cancer is extremely rare, light-eyed folks are also more susceptible to sun damage from exposure to UV rays. [45], Green eyes probably result from the interaction of multiple variants within the OCA2 and other genes. 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. Blue light may also damage your retinas. Contact lenses can give your eyes a hazel appearance. Brown eyes result from a relatively high concentration of melanin in the stroma of the iris, which causes light of both shorter and longer wavelengths to be absorbed.[27]. Brown eyes in an otherwise mostly light-eyed region may point to a genetic leftover and a time in history during which everyone in the world had brown eyes. Blue eyes aren't even actually blue. Thats true for people of every eye color. The color of our eyes depends on how much melanin is present in the iris. Less melanin, the eyes are blue. [5] Neither blue nor green pigments are present in the human iris or vitreous humour. [82], Wilson's disease involves a mutation of the gene coding for the enzyme ATPase 7B, which prevents copper within the liver from entering the Golgi apparatus in cells. Through the analysis of ancient DNA, a 2020 study published in Experimental Dermatology suggested that the common gene for blue eye color likely originated in the Near East and arrived in Europe around 42,000 years ago, after the exodus out of Africa. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. While limited, there is some research showing that blue eyes may protect you against seasonal affective disorder. Eye color as a risk factor for acquired sensorineural hearing loss: A review. The majority of the worlds population has brown eyes, about 70-80%. If you have blue eyes it does not mean that your iris is actually colored blue. [4] The appearance of blue, green, and hazel eyes results from the Tyndall scattering of light in the stroma, a phenomenon similar to Rayleigh scattering which accounts for the blue sky. Which country has the most people with blue eyes? 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. 10 . To put that in perspective, 79% of people have brown eyes. Black is not an eye color. But, indeed, that is not the case of some parts of the british islands, northern, and north-eastern Europe inlcluding the Baltic countries where in fact, the concentration of very light hair and blue eyes is the highest, higher even than in Scandinavia. One more usual hair color is red, and also green eye color, being among the rarest in the world. The brown eye colour is in the US the . Studies have shown that the percentage of Irish residents with red hair is indeed around 10 per cent, though the percentage of Scots possessing it is closer to 5 or 6 per cent. Some people attribute certain qualities to eye color. Scientists have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye . They lower your risk of developing cataracts, for instance. Even people with the lightest blue eyes, with no melanin on the front of the iris at all, have dark brown coloration on the back of it, to prevent light from scattering around inside the eye. Brown-eyed individuals, on the other hand, have a lot more variation. As the child develops, melanocytes (cells found within the iris of human eyes, as well as skin and hair follicles) slowly begin to produce melanin. The more melanin concentration one has, the darker ones eyes will be. Grndl M, Knoll S, Eisenmann-Klein M, Prantl L. The blue-eyes stereotype: do eye color, pupil diameter, and scleral color affect attractiveness? In other words, it's impossible to know for sure if your children will have blue eyes or any other color. On top of that, blue eyes are not truly blue. The iris has two layers. Is eye color determined by genetics? Then, somebody had a genetic mutation with two quirks: It gave them blue eyes and prevented their children from having brown eyes. Even though there is a high number of blond and blue-eyed people living in Britain today, the highest percentage of blue eyes is recorded in South East Scotland with 57%. Eye colors are a beautiful and distinctive aspect reflecting ones personality and ancestry. Even though the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population are the European ones, some interesting scientific research have shown that evolution of blondes has probably happened more than once throughout the history of humankind. A person may also have more than one eye color, a condition called Heretochromia, which affects less than 1% of people. Cavin Herbert Eye Institute. While the rest of us see beauty and wonder in eye color, eye doctors see the source of eye color the iris as a signpost for vision problems. This damage will cause your vision to become blurrier and more distorteda condition called macular degeneration. [77], The most important role of melanin in the iris is to protect the eyes from the sun's harmful rays. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for this eye color. One mutation 10,000 years ago has today resulted in almost 200 million pairs of blue eyes, and people with blue eyes have more blue-eyed children. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, is serving as Zillow's health advisor. People with brown eyes have high concentrations of . Most Asian and African children are born with brown and black eyes. Believed to be the result of a genetic mutation, blue eyes originated from a single ancestor thousands of years ago. Grey 0%. [29] Brown eyes are common in Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas. Quite a bit. But lets not get things too scientific at this point. A person suffering from uveitis requires immediate medical attention to control the inflammation and prevent vision loss. How older drivers can improve their driving at night, trace their eye color back to that one person, population of people with lighter eyes, hair and skin, Eye exams: 5 reasons why they are important, 5 Things you might not know about blue eyes. Approximately 2% of the world's population has green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. Blue eyes actually didn't exist 10,000 years ago. Dark brown eyes are dominant in humans. or brown eyes. (This same effect makes the sky appear blue.). Anisocoria thus refers to an abnormal condition characterized by different pupil sizes. When a child was born, there is almost no melanin in the iris, so their eyes are blue. Even though amber is similar to gold, some people have russet or copper colored amber eyes that are mistaken for hazel, though hazel tends to be duller and contains green with red/gold flecks, as mentioned above. Because of this, the pupillary reflex is much more pronounced in albino individuals, and this can emphasize the red eye effect in photographs. [18] Other genes implicated in eye color variation are SLC24A4[19] and TYR. [13][14] These genes are sought by studying small changes in the genes themselves and in neighboring genes, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. Having blue eyes has its advantages. Blue eyes aren't actually blue. MedlinePlus. When it comes to first impressions, the little things make all the difference. developed a graded system based on the predominant iris color and the amount of brown or yellow pigment present. Are contact lenses a good choice for kids? Comments. Medicaid: Eligibility and Vision Benefits. Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf. The brown color comes from melanin, a pigment in our eyes that also gives a brown color to hair, skin and other cells. Amber eyes may also contain amounts of very light gold-ish gray. [12] A specific mutation within the HERC2 gene, a gene that regulates OCA2 expression, is partly responsible for blue eyes. 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. By Verla05. Adult eye color is usually established between 3 and 6 months of age, though this can be later. Hazel (sometimes grouped with amber) Green. [93] There are also other studies that challenge these findings. [33] In humans, yellowish specks or patches are thought to be due to the pigment lipofuscin, also known as lipochrome. [28] In many parts of the world, it is nearly the only iris color present. This condition refers to the swelling of the uvea, a pigmented layer between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer. This is due to meager amounts of melanin in the iris, which allows the underlying blood vessels to show through. This melanin is the brown pigment responsible for eye color, hair, and skin color. Hazel eyes are usually a combination of green and brown and often flecks of gold or orange. For years, researchers had searched for it on the OCA2 gene. 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. Melanin in the iris appears to help protect the back of the eye (retina) from damage caused by the UV radiation and high-energy visible blue light that comes from the sun and some artificial sources. [53] Unlike brown eyes, blue eyes have low concentrations of melanin in the stroma of the iris, which lies in front of the dark epithelium. [15][16], People of European descent show the greatest variety in eye color of any population worldwide. Light or medium-pigmented brown eyes can also be commonly found in South Europe, among the Americas, and parts of Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia. Are Blue-Eyed People More Likely to Get Macular Degeneration? [4][34] Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. These people make up about 9% of the U.S. population. Eye melanoma is known to be more common for those with fair skin and light-colored eyes. ", "Contribution l'anthropologie des Corses: Anthropologie de la tte (suite)", "Evaluation of an iris color classification system", Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, "Subspecies comparison of the Genus: Corucia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eye_color&oldid=1140743886. 15 Best Places to Travel in November in Europe, Asia and Tropical Destinations 15 Most Expensive Items You Can Buy on Amazon. Cataracts are very common as you get older. Find an eyecare professional and book online in minutes! A lower level of melanin allows more light to reflect off the eye; the blue color is the resulting shade. They were present in south Siberia during the Bronze Age. [17], There is evidence that as many as 16 different genes could be responsible for eye color in humans; however, the main two genes associated with eye color variation are OCA2 and HERC2, and both are localized in Chromosome 15. Photochromic lenses are another way to protect blue eyes from UV radiation. Blue is the second most common eye color globally, with estimates suggesting that 8-10% of people have blue eyes. . [26] A 2002 study found that the prevalence of blue eye color among the white population in the United States to be 33.8% for those born from 1936 through 1951, compared with 57.4% for those born from 1899 through 1905. Eye color results from the amount of pigment (melanin) you have in the front layer (stroma). For example, instead of blue as in humans, autosomal recessive eye color in the skink species Corucia zebrata is black, and the autosomal dominant color is yellow-green. She specializes in cornea, cataracts, external eye disease, and refractive surgery. Eye color in non-human animals is regulated differently. People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research. 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. New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. Blond hair percentage: 75. Scientists are looking into the possibility of those who have blue eyes being at higher risk for sensorineural hearing loss. Send a Message. Since we are slowly coming to the epicenter top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation, Denmark is the first country of Vikings that we come by. 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 . Worldwide, fewer than 9% of people have blue eyes. Both parents have to pass along the blue eye gene in order for their child to have blue eyes. Free shipping on all US orders! Because melanocyte cells continually produce pigment, in theory eye color can be changed. Amber is the third rarest eye color in the world after green and gray, and approximately 5% of the worlds population have amber eyes. 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. The colored part of the eye is called the iris. The North American brothers are similarly blonde-haired and blue-eyed. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. [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. Britain has traditionally been home to people with brown eyes but a study by SCOTLANDSDNA found that eyes in the country are now 48 per cent blue. If you have a darker iris color, you are at a greater risk of developing this eye disease. For the shade of purple, see, "Brown eyes" redirects here. Here's the breakdown of eye color prevalence in the United States: 45% of people with brown eyes. 17 to 22 percent of the inhabitants of Estonia and Scandinavian countries have blue eyes 45! Retina and the outer fibrous layer here & # x27 ; s health advisor General Benjamin. After green, gray is the cause of the worlds population having gray eyes this part surrounds the pupil the! 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