How is the amount of melanin determined for each person?

There is a coding process passed from parent to child called genes. Our genes are the building blocks that make each of us unique. At one time, it was believed that eye color was controlled by a single gene and inherited. Now we know the process is more involved. We believe that eye color is a trait controlled by several genes linked together. 1 And brown eye color is the dominant color.

Blue Eyes

Interestingly, new research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a gene change which took place 6-10,000 years ago. This change is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today. Professor Eiberg says, “Originally, we all had brown eyes.” 2

Change your eye color

Sometimes adult eye color can change. It can be due to the light reflections of clothes and different environmental colors around them. Colored contact lenses can be a fun way to change eye color if you want to enhance what you were born with. Be sure to visit your eye doctor for a proper fit and correction of colored contact lenses.

References:

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1 Liu F, Wollstein A, Hysi PG, et al. Digital quantification of human eye color highlights genetic association of three new loci. PLoS Genet. 2010;6(5):34. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000934

2 Eiberg H, Troelsen J, Nielsen M, et al. Blue eye color in humans may be caused by a perfectly associated founder mutation in a regulatory element located within the HERC2 gene inhibiting OCA2 expression. Hum Genet. 2008;123(2):177-187. doi:10.1007/s00439-007-0460-x