ADDED TO CARTFascinating Facts About Green Eyes
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If you get compliments about your green eyes, it’s probably because green is considered the most attractive eye color. A recent survey found that 20.3% of participants said green eyes are the most appealing.
But how rare are green eyes and where do they come from? Read on to learn more about this unique eye color.
How Rare Are Green Eyes?
Green is the rarest of the common eye colors, which are:
- Amber
- Blue
- Brown
- Green
- Gray
- Hazel (including combinations of gold, green, or brown)
About 9% of the U.S. population has this rare and fascinating eye color. Globally, only 2% of people have green eyes. They are common among those in Central, Western, and Northern Europe.
Where Do Green Eyes Come From?
Your eye color is largely determined by your genetics, as multiple genes are thought to play a role in eye color inheritance. But it’s also determined by a substance in the body called melanin.
Melanin is a brown pigment that’s responsible for your hair, skin, and eye color. In general, people with more melanin tend to have darker features while those with less melanin typically have lighter features.
Your eye color is influenced by the amount, type, and distribution of melanin in the iris, which is the colored part of your eye. People with lighter eye colors (such as green, blue, and hazel) have some melanin in their irises but less than those with brown eyes. They also have more of a specific type of melanin compared to those with darker eyes.
The distribution of melanin in the iris also helps determine eye color. The iris has a front layer (called the stroma) and a back layer (called the pigment epithelium). Green eyes have less melanin in the front layer than the back layer, while brown eyes (as a comparison) have more melanin in both layers.
Green Eyes vs. Hazel Eyes
While green and hazel eyes often look similar, they are different eye colors. Some of the ways they differ include:
- Green eyes are typically one solid color. Compared to hazel, they have a more even distribution of melanin throughout the iris.
- Hazel eyes are a mix of green, light brown, and gold. Some shades of hazel eyes have all three of these colors while others only contain two.
- Hazel eyes have less melanin than brown eyes and more than green eyes.
Some hazel eyes appear to be more green in color. When green is more prominent, the color is often called “hazel green.”
Benefits and Limitations of Having Green Eyes
There are pros and cons to having all eye colors. Here are some things to know about having green eyes.
Benefits
Being among the rarest eye colors in the world is just one benefit of green eyes. This unique shade makes these eyes special for other reasons, too:
- Green eyes can appear to change color depending on the lighting conditions, the color of clothing you wear, or your makeup.
- Light eye colors, such as green, may lower the risk of developing cataracts.
- If your eyes are green, you’re in good company. Many celebrities share your eye color like Adele, Jon Hamm, John Krasinski, and Kate Winslet.
Limitations
Some health issues affecting people with green and other light-colored eyes are commonly associated with having less melanin. These include :
- Eye cancer – Melanin absorbs light and helps protect the eyes against exposure to ultraviolet light, which can increase the risk of certain cancers. People with light eyes have less melanin and are at a higher risk for some eye cancers.
- Skin cancer – People with light-colored eyes often have fair skin, which can make them more likely to get different types of skin cancer.
- Light sensitivity – Since green eyes don’t have a lot of melanin to absorb light, you may squint, have trouble focusing, or have eye pain when exposed to harsh sunlight or bright light.
Can You Change Your Eye Color?
While you can’t technically change your eye color, you can temporarily change or enhance their appearance with colored contact lenses. Some of these options include:
- Brown, blue, hazel, or other eye colors can become green with green color contacts.
- You can wear enhancement tint lenses to intensify your eye color. These contact lenses come in gemstone green and many other colors.
- Blending tint contacts are transparent at the outside edges and become gradually more opaque toward the middle for a natural look.
- Some lens manufacturers create custom-tinted contact lenses for a truly unique shade.
- Theatrical tint contacts are opaque and use theatrical or special effects to give your eyes a dramatic look. You can get lenses that glow under black lights, look like cat eyes, or are completely black, among other choices.
You need a prescription for all types of contact lenses, even if they’re only for cosmetic purposes. This is because all contacts are considered medical devices. In the U.S., it’s against the law to sell contacts without a prescription.
When you need contact lenses, you can feel confident shopping with ContactsDirect. We have a wide selection of contacts to help you see better and to show off your beautiful, rare eye color.
