Why do all babies have blue eyes? Is it true that all newborns have blue eyes?

Changes in eye color in a newborn as they grow older - normal reaction. The fact is that at birth the body lacks the pigment melanin, which protects against ultraviolet radiation. As pigment is produced, eye color begins to change, often Blue eyes the babies turn brown.

The absence of melanin in the human body at the time of birth is due to the fact that while the baby is developing in utero, there is no contact with light sources, therefore, there is no need to launch a protective mechanism. This pigment begins to be produced as soon as the baby opens his eyes and bright sources of light appear before his gaze, be it light from light bulbs, or Sun rays. It is for this reason that most newborn children have a light blue iris.

The effect of melanin on eye color: click to enlarge

Changes in eye color in children

Gradually, as melanin production occurs, babies' eye color will begin to change.

An infant, for example, will change their shade several times a day. This phenomenon can be observed, as a rule, up to six months of age.
Also, the color of newborns often changes when their mood changes due to various psycho-emotional states.
If the baby is hungry, then he eye irises will turn gray.
Closer to sleep, the baby looks at his surroundings with eyes of an unclear shade.
When a child cries, green shades of the eyes are often observed.
When he is in a cheerful and cheerful state, they are deep blue.

All this, as mentioned earlier, occurs under the influence of melanin production. Children's permanent eye color will be formed by one and a half years. one year old, but there are cases when the pigment substance continues to accumulate in human body up to two, and sometimes after five years.

The more melanin was produced from the first days after birth, the darker the eyes of newborns will be. Accordingly, the less, the lighter, that is, the eyes will be colored heavenly, light blue, sometimes Blue colour. The blue color of the irises in young children occurs only due to certain refractive indices of light rays. It is very rare, but it still happens that a baby is born with gray or green. Usually, if this happens, it does not change in the future, only a change in shade is possible.

Age of change in eye color in children

In order to bring at least some clarity to the process of changing eye color in children from birth to adulthood, we will consider this process in more detail.

As mentioned earlier, most children have blue or dull gray eyes from birth.
Also, brown-eyed babies can often be found.
Newborn babies with a green iris are rare.

Basically the first color of the organs visual apparatus, different from blue, is a factor of heredity.

Let's look at how and when the eye color of babies changes, depending on their age.

First half of the year (3 months)

The first changes in color usually begin at three months:

This process will begin most quickly in children with a large amount of melanin. At this time, the brown color is most often formed.
The rest do not appear or are constantly changing.
Also, constant eye color can be observed already at this age in green-eyed babies from birth.

From six months to a year

Dramatic changes in the iris begin to appear by the age of six months or one year:

At this time, the green color will definitely be fully formed. The only thing that will happen to them next is a change in shade. They may either lighten or turn dark green.
By this time, a blue-eyed child has every chance of changing the color of the visual apparatus to gray or acquiring a brown color.
The brown color of the organs of vision, as a rule, does not change upon reaching this age, but certain circumstances may occur that will affect the production of melanin; they may turn gray or green.
Gray eyes can also change from heavenly to brown.

Three to five years

The period from three to five years is the final one in the formation of eye coloring and high probability may show the final color that the child will have for the rest of his life.

The blue color (if it has not changed to brown or gray during this time) will most likely become light blue, sky blue, cornflower blue, etc.
Green-eyed babies, as time shows, at this age can only change shade.
A brown eye can become fiery brown, yellow brown, dark brown. But it is also possible to change the pigment substances to gray or green, followed by a change in shade.
Gray eyes during this period can remain either gray or change to brown if melanin production increases, or heavenly. If during this period there were changes in the eyes from gray to blue, then during further development the child will only undergo changes with their shade.

The final eye color, according to statistics and a number of studies, will be formed after five years.

In order to present all these situations more clearly, let's present them in the form of a summary table:

Change in eye color from birth to final color: click to enlarge

But even all these described situations must be combined with the assumptions that were obtained by geneticists.

Rare case - heterochromia

Sometimes it happens that melanin production is unstable. If there is an excess or insufficient amount of pigment substance, a situation may result in which the child’s eye color changes differently. One eye will turn blue and the other will turn brown. A feature expressed in different eye colors in a young organism is usually called heterochromia.

Heterochromia does not affect visual acuity in any way, but only indicates the characteristics of melanin production. Most often, this phenomenon passes, and the child’s eye color changes. But sometimes a person is left with irises different colors for life.

Despite the fact that most newborn babies have a blue eye, this does not mean that it will remain that way. It all depends on the rate of melanin production; hereditary factors also play an important role in the process of changing the color of the iris of the eyes.

Looking at their child, each parent wants to see their own features. The eyes of a newborn are of particular interest, as they tend to change color over time.

An interesting fact is that almost all children are born with identical irises. They often have a blue color and a cloudy shell. On days 2–3 of life, the newborn’s eyes become clearer.

According to statistics, most children are born with blue eyes, but over time they may acquire a different shade.

Over time, you may notice that the color of a baby's eyes may change depending on the time of day or the baby's mood. So, if a child feels hungry, then his eyes may acquire a grayish tint. When a baby cries, his eyes turn greenish, but a cheerful and cheerful baby will have clear blue eyes.

Up to six months in children eye color can change several times per day, since it is during this period that a permanent color is formed.

What factors influence the change in color of the iris?

The following factors influence eye color in newborns:

If the baby has produced little melanin in his body, then his eyes will be light. Cloudiness in the baby's eyes disappears within a month after birth, in individual cases this process may take a little longer.
The dark color of the iris always dominates the light one, so if one of the parents has dark eyes, then most likely the baby will have dark eyes too.
Hereditary plays a big role in changing eye color. So, if the parents have dark eyes, then over time melanin will begin to be produced more actively, and the baby’s eyes will also be dark.

Some argue that the color of the iris is baby and may change throughout the day. This process can be influenced by the baby’s mood, the lighting in the room, and the weather. You should pay attention to the fact that the tone of the iris also depends on blood pressure, the amount of adrenaline received.

It should be emphasized that the color The baby's eye cannot change radically. Only the shade changes, but not the color. Therefore, if a child was born with light blue eyes, they will not turn brown, but will only change their tone. They can become lighter or darker, it depends on heredity and the amount of melanin produced.

The most common iris color is brown. Second place - series and blue. But the green gene is gradually degenerating and can be found very rarely.

Features of different eye shades:

gray and blue tones lack pigment;
green tint presupposes the presence small quantity melanin and pigment such as lipofuscin;
dark tones are formed due to large amount of melanin, which absorbs all light as it falls on the iris.

When do children's eye colors change?

The color of a child’s iris changes during the first year of life; in some cases, this process may take longer. The final color of the baby's eyes will be clear only at 3–4 years of age. An interesting fact is that in dark-eyed children melanin is produced very quickly, the final color will be visible already in the 3rd month.

Often, the iris changes its tone between 6 and 9 months of a newborn’s life. It is during this period that melanin is produced in maximum quantities.

Why do babies' eyes change color?

The change in eye color is explained by the fact that at birth there is practically no melanin in the iris of the baby's eye. It begins to be produced only after a few days. After the first month of life, the baby's eyes become clear.

The color of the iris depends on heredity and individuality. It should be noted that in the first days of a child’s life it is very difficult to judge the color of the iris.

Visual acuity increases gradually, as the organs of vision synchronize their work with the brain. In the first days of life, the newborn's brain is unable to process more quantity new information, over time the baby begins to gradually perceive visual images.

Uncertainty of iris color confusion and lack of coordination- This normal conditions newborn. How quickly the color of the iris is determined depends on how quickly melanin accumulates. This process is influenced by the baby’s heredity and environment. It should be noted that not only parental genes influence, but also the gene pool of the baby’s ancestors. There are cases when a child's eye color can change several times.

What unusual iris colors are there?

If the pigment is completely absent, the iris may be red. This is possible due to the fact that the vessels are visualized in the iris. This phenomenon often occurs in albinos.

Heterochrony is also possible. This is a hereditary mutation in which the eyes have different colors. This deviation does not have any effect on the functions of the visual organs.

In newborns, such an anomaly, the absence of the iris, sometimes occurs. Aniridia can be either complete or partial, and visual acuity is very low. This pathology refers to hereditary disorders.

What diseases can change the color of the iris?

The color of the baby's iris changes:

with Wilson-Konovalov disease, a copper-colored ring forms around the iris;
with melanoma or siderosis, the shade of the iris becomes very dark;
with anemia and leukemia, the baby’s eyes become very light;
with uveitis, the iris takes on a red tint, because blood stagnates in the vessels organs of vision;
at diabetes mellitus, due to the formation of new vessels, the iris becomes red-pink.

Please note that the color the iris in such diseases begins, beckon when the disease is at the peak of its development.

To summarize all of the above, the following nuances should be emphasized:

changing the shade of a newborn's eye - normal phenomenon which is observed in all children;
often in infants the blue tint of the iris predominates;
the color of the iris is determined by a genetic factor;
It is impossible to give an exact answer as to what color the baby’s eyes will be;
The color of the iris can change up to 5 years.

As a result, it should be noted that changing the shade of a baby’s eyes may take some time. Some people's vision may become clear just a few days after birth, while others will have to wait a little longer. If you notice that the color of your baby's iris has begun to change towards red or yellow, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may indicate the presence of a disease.

Even when the child is in the womb, his parents try to guess who he will be like. And with the birth of the baby, not only mom and dad, but all relatives begin to compare the appearance and color of the baby’s eyes, arguing among themselves: “Mom’s nose!”, “But daddy’s eyes!”, forgetting that the baby’s facial features will change over time. . This especially applies to the color of the iris, which changes with age in most children. What exactly do such changes depend on? Why is this happening? When is the final color formed? We will tell you about all the features of eye color in this article.

The main factors influencing eye color

Amount of pigment. All babies are born with gray-blue or greenish color, since there is no melanin pigment in the iris of a newborn. But gradually it accumulates, and the color of the baby’s eyes begins to change. The shade of the iris depends on the amount of this pigment substance: the more of it in the body, the darker the color. Melanin acts in the same way on human skin and hair.
Nationality. Belonging to one's people is directly related to the color of one's skin, eyes and hair. For example, the vast majority of Europeans have gray, blue and light blue eyes, while Mongols and Turks have green, light brown and greenish eyes. Brown eyes. The Slavs have light blue and light gray eyes, the Negroid race has dark brown and black eyes. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is most likely the result of mixed marriages.
Genetics. Related genes play a significant role in how a child will be born and who he will resemble. But you can’t rely 100% on genetics. If mom and dad have light eyes, then the likelihood that the baby will also have light eyes is 75%. If mom has light eyes and dad has dark eyes (and vice versa), then the baby will most likely have a dark color. If both parents dark eyes, then the baby is unlikely to have a light color.

When does a baby's eye color start to change?

From the moment a baby is born, his eye color remains a dull gray or greenish color for some time. But after six months, the shade of the iris begins to gradually change. And since changes occur slowly, the results are almost invisible to us. Due to melanin staining, a newborn’s eyes first darken, and by six months or one year of age they acquire the shade determined by genes. But this is not the final result. Melanin continues to accumulate and the color will take several years to form. It will become final by the age of 5-10 - this is individual for each child. In any case, the future color of the baby’s eyes can be judged no earlier than six months, and only at one year will it become clear what shade of eye color the child will have.

Can eye color remain the same or change?

Grey. This color occurs quite often at the birth of a child and can vary from a light tone to a dark shade. Most often, children with gray eyes appear among northeastern peoples. This color is typical for calm and slow children.
Blue. The beautiful heavenly shade can also either lighten or darken over time, especially if the baby is fair-haired and fair-skinned. Children with blue eyes are dreamers, they are not capricious, prone to sentimentality and even pragmatic.
Blue. This color is often found among northern peoples, blue tint is formed as a result of a large amount of pigment that has already been produced in the body. Kids with blue eyes are vulnerable, touchy and emotional.
Green. Children with green irises are born only to parents with bright eyes. According to statistics, residents of Iceland and Turkey have the most green-eyed children. These kids are very demanding, persistent and stubborn - real leaders!
Brown. If a baby is genetically programmed to have brown eyes, he will be born with a dark gray iris, which will change its shade to a brown tone closer to six months. Such children are distinguished excessive activity, cheerful disposition, shyness and hard work.

How to determine the final eye color of babies?

To determine the final eye color of the baby, genetic scientists have compiled a table, but its calculations are quite arbitrary. There is always a chance that the genes of some great-grandmother will manifest themselves - it’s rare, but it still happens. Therefore, you should not consider this table as the ultimate truth; it just clearly shows how genetic predisposition can affect the eye color of a little person.

Video about child's eye color

In what cases can there be eyes of different colors?

Very rarely there are pathologies of eye color that distinguish us from other people. They appear from birth and are visible almost immediately.

Albinism. IN in this case we're talking about about the complete absence of melanin pigment, as a result of which the eyes acquire a red tint. main reason lies in the fact that the vessels of the iris are visualized. This pathology is very rare in humans.
Aniridia. it's the same congenital anomaly, which is characterized by the absence of the iris, complete or partial, which directly affects vision. In most cases, this is inherited, and visual acuity is quite low.
Heterochromia. Another hereditary pathology is when the eyes are of different colors. A child may have one eye brown and the other gray or blue. But there may be other options. This mutation does not affect vision or other functions in any way.

Do diseases affect changes in eye color?

Previously, it was believed that if the shade of the iris changed, this certainly indicated that a person had some kind of disease. But research has refuted this theory. However, there are diseases that actually change eye color.

Wilson-Konovalov disease. This disease can be diagnosed in young children and is a metabolic disorder that affects nervous system. As a result, the ring around the iris of the eye becomes pronounced and distinct.
Diabetes. Eye color can change only if the disease is severe - the iris becomes red-pink color. The reason is the formation of blood vessels that appear during the disease. But this does not affect visual acuity in any way.
Melanoma. Any tumor provokes changes in the body, and eye color is no exception. If this disease is diagnosed, the eye color may change to a darker shade. For example, blue eyes can become almost blue.
Anemia. When the body lacks iron, it affects many organs. It often happens that the eye color becomes a shade (or even two) lighter. For example, blue eyes can turn blue, and black eyes can change to a brown tone.

Does eye color affect visual acuity?

It is unknown where these assumptions came from, but for some reason many people believe that eye color is directly related to vision. Does the color of the iris really have any effect on dioptres? No evidence has been found for this. Any baby sees much weaker than an adult - this is explained by the fact that not all the organs of a newborn are sufficiently formed. Moreover: in the very first days of his life, the baby does not see anything at all, he only reacts to light. And only by a month or two or three he can already distinguish objects by 50%, after which his vision gradually becomes sharper.

What else affects the color of a baby’s iris?

Don’t be alarmed if you suddenly notice that the color of your baby’s eyes has become lighter or darker. Children, like adults, react to external stimuli, which affects the shade of their iris. For example, if the baby’s gray eyes have brightened, this indicates that the child may be reacting this way to the weather (for example, bright sun or rain). If the color of the eyes has darkened, then it is possible that the baby is in pain. It also happens that the shade of a baby’s iris can become almost transparent - do not be alarmed by this. Your baby is simply calm, peaceful and in a relaxed state.

In contact with

When a family is expecting a child, parents imagine what he will be like, who he will look like, what kind of eyes he will have. Brown, like dad's, or gray, like mom's. Remember in Gone with the Wind when Rhett Butler looked at his little Boney and said that her eyes were blue, like the Confederate flag? And Melanie explained that the eye color of newborns is always blue.

Newborn eyes

Actually, it's true. All babies are born with blue or blue eyes, and only after some time their true color is determined. The fact is that children are not born fully formed; not all of the little person’s organs are ready for work.

Newborns' eyes are always blue at birth.

Thus, the iris of the eye initially does not contain melanin, so at birth it is blue, blue, gray or greenish in color. Melanin is a pigment coloring substance that has the functions of protecting against ultraviolet radiation.

Gradually, melanin accumulates in the body and in the iris. Required amount This pigment is produced depending on heredity and other characteristics. To dye blue or gray eyes you need little, but for brown and black eyes you need a lot coloring matter. This happens individually for each child, although in children with dark skin eyes may already be light brown at birth.

Therefore, over time, blue, dark blue, gray or light green eyes darken due to melanin staining, and after 3-4, and sometimes after 6-8 months, they acquire the color determined by the genome.

Eye color is affected by the amount of melanin

What affects eye color: main factors

Not only the eyes, but also the color of a person’s hair and skin is determined by the amount of melanin (mélas - from the Greek “black”). In fact, melanins are common name. They are black, yellow, brown.

Chromatophores

The future eye color of newborns is determined by the number of chromatophores with melanin on front layer iris (chromatophore - from the Greek “chromos” - color and “foros” - carrier). Nature has decreed that dark eyes – brown and dark brown – predominate in the world. A dark iris contains more melanin than blue, gray, indigo, green, even hazel or amber. Red eye color is caused by complete absence melanin in the body. This is a sign of albinos.

Genes and genetics

The science of genetics today, with some degree of success, predicts what a baby will be like, who he will be like, and how he will grow up. There are schemes that determine the color of a newborn's eyes. But we must remember that no one, not a single scheme, can say this with complete certainty. These diagrams are only approximated to reality. For example:

if both parents have the same color eyes, then the probability of its repetition in the newborn is approximately 75%;
if with parents different eyes, then the predominance of the darker is possible by 50%;
If both parents have light eyes, it is more likely that the newborn will have the same eye color.

Hereditary factors and six genes with different numbers of chromosomes determine eye color. There are many varieties of colors and shades, and their ratio in children and parents gives a large number of options. Dark color when fused, it suppresses light genes, which causes the dominance of brown, dark brown and black. Blue, cyan, gray, amber, marsh are less common, and the rarest are green, yellow and purple.

Nationality

The color of the eyes is also influenced by a person’s belonging to his people. Thus, native Europeans are usually born with gray-blue, blue and even dark purple eyes. Babies of the Mongoloid race appear with greenish-brown eyes, and children of the Negroid race are almost always born with brown eyes.

Therefore, naturally, different nations There is a predominance of a particular eye color. Thus, a sign of people of Slavic origin is considered to be blue or grey eyes, and, for example, African-Americans are dark brown.

The color green is very rare, and the greenest people are the Turks. From total number of all people with green eyes on the planet, 20% of them live in Turkey.

Armenians and Jews, for example, claim that from ancient times they were blue-eyed. In fact, due to migrations and mixing of peoples, eye color also changes. After all, S. Yesenin wrote about the Russians that Rus' was lost in Mordva and Chud.

When eye color changes

Since infancy, a person's eye color often changes. From blue or blue in newborns it turns into the one that nature laid down. The formation of color occurs individually for each child, perhaps up to 3-4 years, and by 10-12 years the real, final color is already recorded.

The accumulation or decrease in the number of melanocytes in the iris makes the pupil color darker or lighter. In addition, pigment spots may appear on the iris. With age, the amount of melanin produced by the body becomes less and less, and the color of the eyes changes, becoming lighter.

Changes in eye tone can occur even throughout the day. There is a well-known expression: “the eyes have darkened.” Yes, they darken, for example, during severe stress. Reflecting lighting, the colors of clothing or the colors of the surrounding nature, light eyes take on a different shade.

Heterochromia

Sometimes in life there is a phenomenon called heterochromia, which translated from Greek means “ different color" That is, some people have different colors in each eye. The reason lies in failures in the formation of melanin. Such “difference of eyes” can be congenital or acquired in connection with any injury, illness, or from the use of eye drops.

Heterochromia is a phenomenon where a person's eyes have different colors.

Heterochromia is divided into complete, in which each eye is colored in its own color, or sectoral, when the iris is colored in sectors. But the most common is central heterochromia, in which the iris is colored in different shades, collected in rings around one dominant color. This is a very beautiful “deviation”, many people are even proud of this decoration. However, if the baby has multi-colored pupils, it is still advisable to consult an ophthalmologist.

In the Middle Ages, during the Inquisition, people with heterochromia were sent to the stake. There are still superstitions that these people have strength and are able to protect themselves from damage or the evil eye. In fact, people with heterochromia are completely ordinary, and if the difference in eyes did not appear after the disease, then heterochromia is absolutely harmless.

A person with dark eyes primarily reacts to the color of an object, while a person with light eyes reacts primarily to the shape.
Dark-eyed people like bright, red and yellow colors, while light-eyed people like cool, blue and gray colors.
People with dark pupils more often act spontaneously, they are emotional, while people with light color They are better able to control their feelings. In addition, they are well oriented in space.
People with light eyes constantly keep their distance, while dark-eyed people easily allow others into their personal space.
Those with light eyes follow the rules of internal style, while those with dark eyes use generally accepted categories.
Blue-eyed people have a scientific mindset, brown-eyed people do not.

From everything that was said in the article, we can conclude that it is impossible to determine in advance the color of the eyes of babies with one hundred percent certainty. Looking at their treasure brought from the maternity hospital, mom and dad look for something similar to themselves, and rarely does anyone expect to see eyes of the same color as their grandmother or great-grandfather. In the formation of eye color, appearance And the inner world of the future little man involves not only the parental chromosomes, but also the genes of other relatives, and the deep roots of the entire family.

The eyes of every adult and even a tiny child have an individual shade. Based on this, disputes arise among future parents when the eye color of a newborn is determined. WITH scientific point view this feature eye organ babies do not know the exact reasons. There are many factors that influence the change in the shade of babies' eyes.

Each baby after birth has its own eye color. This physiological factor, which does not indicate a violation. All babies are born with gray or dull blue eyes; over time, the organ of vision is formed in a new way. Here are four factors that cause a change in the shade of the visual organ in infants:

Thus, it is easy to determine the mood of a baby by the shade of his eyes. With normal vision functioning in a newborn, the pupils react to light. IN dark room The baby's pupil dilates and contracts in bright light.

Attention! Doctors observe babies in the first two weeks of lifeinverted vision, so you need to approach the baby carefully and slowly so as not to scare him.

A change in eye color occurs in a child by the age of two to three years; the influencing factor is considered to be genetic predisposition or characteristics of intrauterine development.

Does the color of a newborn's eye affect visual acuity?

The baby's visual organ is identical to the eye of an adult, however, the vision of newborns is still too weak. At first, the baby sees only light and this can be seen by the way the baby closes his eyes.

After a few months, the baby is able to focus his vision for a few seconds on a specific object. By 6 months, a baby is able to distinguish shapes and objects, and by one year, he sees all objects in bright pictures. We invite you to explore several interesting facts about baby's vision:

during the newborn period, the baby’s vision reaches only 50% of the generally accepted norm;
eye color from birth and its change depending on situations does not affect visual acuity;
if in a newborn different colour eye - this does not always indicate developmental pathology;
Brown eye color is the most common, while green is rare.

For parents! There is a disease that negatively affects the visual acuity of a child from infancy. This ailment is considered. It can be noticed when the sclera of an infant's eye turns yellow.

How does a child’s visual organ work?

Baby's eyes have optic nerves who perceive external information and transmit it to the brain, where the received information is processed, and all this happens at high speed. The eye of a newborn is compared to a camera.

Over time, pigment is released in the child’s body, which is a direct prerequisite for changing the color of eyes, hair and skin. This pigment is called melanin, it protects the body from ultraviolet radiation. Big influence on color scheme The child's eyes are influenced by the genes of the father and mother. The combined amount of melanin of both parents determines what shade it will acquire. visual organ baby when he grows up.

Children's humor!
Vlad (7 years old):
Mom, I know why shrimp are called shrimp!
Why?
Because they are crooked!

Watch the video to see how the baby's visual organ works.

Is it possible to guess what the baby's eye color will be after birth?

Today, it is only possible to calculate what the eye tone of a newborn will be like. Pay attention to the statistics: most children are born dark-eyed, this is a consequence of the fact that one of the parents has dark eyes. In the case where the parents have light eyes, most likely the baby will have light gray or light eyes. blue color.

Both parents who have rich brown eyes can be sure that their baby will be born with brown eyes, however, as they grow older, their shade may change. For detailed information, we suggest studying the table of dependence of eye color according to genetic data.

Attention! If your baby was born with red eyes, which is extremely rare, it means there is not enough melanin in his body.

The connection between eye color and baby's character

People believe that the color of a baby’s iris can determine the future character of the child. According to ancient beliefs it was believed:

a child with blue or heavenly eyes will grow up to be romantic, kind and sincere in nature;
children with gray eyes will be honest and decisive;
a newborn with green eyes will inherit hardworking, demanding, decisive and pragmatic traits;
a baby with brown eyes will show feelings of love and shyness;
black eyes indicate temperament and excitement.