Anna Scheucher
Did you know that your eyes can change color?
Your eye color is not fixed, but changes over time.
It is one of the most fascinating properties of our eyes, and with good reason: it can say a lot about you!
Here are 10 reasons why your eyes can change colors:
1) Age
The most obvious cause of change in eye color is the aging process.
As we get older, the pigmentation in the iris becomes less dense, allowing more of the blue of the retina to show through.
This is because melanin, the pigment that gives the eye its color, decreases with age, especially in the iris of the eye.
In fact, research has shown that the average eye color of an 80-year-old is significantly lighter than that of a 20-year-old.
This change in eye color with age occurs in everyone, regardless of their original eye color.
But not just that, babies change their eye color, too.
Have you ever noticed that every single baby is born with blue or grey eyes? As they get older, their genetics start to push through and that’s when the color changes to the final eye color.
2) Environment
You may have noticed that people with light eyes often have a blue tinge to their eyes when they are in a place with a lot of blue light, like in a swimming pool or near a blue computer screen.
It’s basically just your eye reflecting the blue color.
This results in your eyes taking on a blue tinge, and it can also happen when you look at reflections of blue light, like water, or when you stare at blue light, like the blue light from a TV or computer screen.
This effect is temporary and disappears when you get out of the blue light or after a few minutes of closing your eyes.
3) Health
When you are young and healthy, your eyes probably look way different than when you are sick.
That’s because you can see how healthy someone is by looking at their eyes.
Are they matt and lifeless? Or are they shiny and vibrant?
You can check your health by looking at your eyes.
If they are shiny and vibrant, that’s a good sign that you are healthy!
Because of that, you may also notice slight changes in your eye color as you get sick or recover again.
Overcome your own limiting beliefs
So what can you do to change your own eye color?
Begin with yourself. Stop searching for external fixes to sort out your life, deep down, you know this isn’t working.
And that’s because until you look within and unleash your personal power, you’ll never find the satisfaction and fulfillment you’re searching for.
Your eye color is perfect as it is, and you won’t be any happier changing it, believe me.
I learned this from the shaman Rudá Iandê. His life mission is to help people restore balance to their lives and unlock their creativity and potential.
He has an incredible approach that combines ancient shamanic techniques with a modern-day twist.
In his excellent free video, Rudá explains effective methods to achieve what you want in life, and how to be happy with what you were given.
So if you want to build a better relationship with yourself, unlock your endless potential, and put passion at the heart of everything you do, start now by checking out his genuine advice.
Here’s a link to the free video again.
4) Genetics
One of the most common causes of a change in eye color is a gene mutation.
Although genes determine our eye color, their effect can be masked by other genes that suppress their effect.
But sometimes, these genes become less active, which leads to an unmasking effect, and the eye color turns out to be different than expected.
For example, if one of the parents has blue eyes, but the child ends up with brown eyes, there must have been a gene mutation.
A similar thing can happen if the child ends up with a different eye color than both the parents.
These mutations can be benign, but they can also be associated with syndromes like oculocutaneous albinism, piebaldism, or roanoke congenital ichthyosis.
All in all, genetics obviously play the biggest role in what color your eyes are, but they usually don’t change much after that.
5) Diseases
Many eye diseases can change the color of your eyes.
Most of them affect the retina, the layer of nerve cells at the back of the eye that converts light energy into electrical impulses.
In erythropoietic protoporphyria, the retina turns yellow, and in retinitis pigmentosa, it becomes thin and pigmented.
Eyesight loss is the most frequent complication of these diseases, and it can be partial or complete, depending on the severity of the disease.
As well as the retina, blood vessels can also be affected by eye diseases, and they can change the color of the eyes.
Changes in eye color can also be a sign of some underlying health issues.
Yellowing of the eyes (called jaundice) or a change in the color of the sclera (the white part of the eye) can be a sign of liver disease.
Blue or grey-tinged sclera can be a sign of iron deficiency.
Blue eyes with red veins can be an indication of high blood pressure.
A sudden change in the color of the iris can be an indication of a disease, like an erythroblastosis fetalis, toxoplasmosis, or rubella.
If you notice any strange changes of color in your eyes, and you’re not sure what’s going on, it’s usually best to ask a doctor for advice.
Better safe than sorry, especially when it comes to your eyesight!
6) Exposure to light
When you expose your eyes to dim light, your retina expands, trying to capture more light and see better.
As a result, the color of your iris appears darker. This is why you can notice people’s eyes less when they are indoors.
But, if the light is very bright, the same thing can happen in the other direction, resulting in lighter eyes.
This effect is temporary, and the eyes will return to their normal color after a few hours in the dark.
You might notice how in the bright sun, people’s retinas are like needle dots and their iris is super bright and big.
7) Mood and emotions
Emotions can change the color of your eyes, though not as dramatically as in comic books and cartoons, where characters’ eyes change color when they feel certain emotions.
But there is a slight change in the color of the eyes when the person is experiencing certain feelings, like sadness, anger, or happiness.
This phenomenon is called eye color associated mood shift.
The reason behind it is not clear, but it has been suggested that changes in the eye color are due to a change in the size of the retina, which results in a change in the reflection of light.
This effect is considered temporary.
You see, just as with light, your retina also changes when you experience certain emotions, such as fear, anger, or happiness.
Because of that, your eyes might appear differently.
8) Puberty
During puberty, there are changes in the hormones that regulate pigmentation, and they can change the color of your eyes.
For example, when they hit puberty, some people notice that their eyes turn darker.
This shift, however, is normal and has to do with the changing body.
Of course, once the eyes have changed, it is pretty permanent.
9) Pregnancy
There are many changes in a pregnant woman’s body, including her eyes.
During pregnancy, the levels of the hormone progesterone increase significantly, and this process has an effect on the pigmentation in the eyes.
However, just like with puberty, the changes are usually minimal and can barely be noticed.
10) Diet
It is believed that consuming foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals can help you maintain healthy eyes.
Eating carrots and other foods that contain carotene can help you have healthy eyes since they are converted into vitamin A in the body.
Moreover, they help in reducing the risks of macular degeneration which is the leading cause of blindness among people above the age of 50.
In addition to carrots, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe are foods that are rich in carotene, which is very important for healthy eyes.
Similarly, foods that are rich in vitamin C, such as broccoli and oranges, can help reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
These foods can change the color of your eyes with prolonged use.
The effect is not dramatic, and it is more noticeable in people with lighter eyes.
It is not known exactly how these foods affect eye color, but it is believed that they simply make your eyes shine a little brighter and healthier, which can affect the way your iris looks.
Can you change your eye color?
Eye color is a fascinating and important part of our appearance.
While it may not be the first thing you notice about someone, it can definitely be a conversation starter.
It is also a great way to get to know someone better and understand their personality and outlook on life.
A person’s eye color can be affected by many things, from age and health to diet and emotions.
There are many reasons why your eyes can change colors, and we hope that this article has shed some insight on the topic.
However, your eyes will not change from brown to light green over night, sorry!
If you were born with a certain eye color, you will most probably keep this color for life.
Good thing there are colored contacts nowadays in case you want to try a new color!
All in all, everyone has the eyes that fit themselves perfectly, so you are exactly the way you’re supposed to be!
