The pigment is present in the front part of the iris. The color of your eyes depends on the amount of melanin, a pigment in the eye. Recent studies confirm that 16 genes may be involved in determining eye color. How Do Hazel Eyes Get Their Color?Įye color is genetically inherited from parents, and there are multiple genes responsible for the color of a child’s eyes. Popular celebrities with hazel eyes include Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Ben Affleck, Demi Moore, Steve Carrell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Brooke Shields, and Rebel Wilson. People with hazel eyes may be more at risk for anxiety disorders and behavioral issues. People with hazel eyes may be more sensitive to bright lights and sunshine than people with brown eyes. Hazel eye color is also popularly connected with imagination, creativity, and exceptional communication skills. There are some beliefs that people with hazel eyes tend to have a more positive outlook on things. People with hazel eyes appear to be less likely to have nerve damage from environmental noise than people with blue eyes. The levels of melanin in hazel eyes may offer some benefits to the brain. Hazel Eyes & Eye HealthĬertain links have been drawn between eye color and eye health. The center iris often looks tinted with gold, green, or yellow hues. This coloration appears to be somewhat mysterious, as these colors are not based on pigments present in the human eye.Ībout 75 percent of hazel eyes have a dark brown ring around them. Hazel eyes may also seem to change colors and have shades of other colors such as amber, blue or green. The combination varies with each individual, and hazel is often modified with the main impression, such as golden, light brown, or greenish-brown. They are often divided into two groups: hazel green or hazel brown. Hazel eyes are often described as unique because they feature a combination of colors.

Hazel is a broad name that covers a lot of colors in the spectrum of green and brown. This translates to approximately 64 million people with hazel eyes around the world.Ībout 18 percent of people in the United States have hazel-colored eyes. How Common Are Hazel Eyes?Īccording to World Atlas, hazel eyes are a rare color, estimated to be in only 5 percent of the global population. This is caused by a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, the same optical effect that causes the sky to appear blue. In hazel eyes, the inner part of the eye sometimes appears lighter, and sometimes, it is the outer portion of the iris that appears lighter. Hazel eyes are the result of a moderate amount of pigment, less than brown but more than blue. While people with the least melanin have blue, gray, or green eyes. People who have the most melanin have brown eyes.

Melanin is a naturally occurring pigment that influences the color of your eyes, skin, and hair.

The color of the eye is related to the amount of melanin you have in your body.

If you are born with hazel eyes, you are among 5 percent of the world population to have this desirable coloration. Hazel eyes are rare, and this may contribute to why so many people want to achieve this attractive color. It may contain flecks or flickers of other colors, which cause the iris to feature shades of blue, amber, green, or even orange. Like the color of the hazelnut, this color is unique and variable. Hazel-colored eyes are often described as light brown, greenish-brown, golden, and hazel.

Hazel color