percentage of blue eyes by country

Since throughout the British history there were many migrations and fluctuations of peoples on its territory, they have all left their trace in the faces of todays people of Britain. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for blue eyes that descended from the Black Sea region of southeastern Europe anywhere between 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Similarly, people with hazel, gray and green eyes have varying quantities of tint in the front layer. While blue eyes may be rare, they're among the most common eye colors at birth. [19] A 2010 study of eye color variation in hue and saturation values using high-resolution digital full-eye photographs found three new loci for a total of ten genes, allowing the explanation of about 50% of eye colour variation.[20]. They look blue because of how light is reflected. Priscilla Vu, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Hum Genet. For example, the film actor Lee Van Cleef was born with one blue eye and one green eye, a trait that reportedly was common in his family, suggesting that it was a genetic trait. The researchers found four key areas of the genome where variation closely correlated with skin color differences. Human eyes don't have their full amount of melanin pigment at birth. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is . 10 . Blue is the second most common and brown tops the list with 45% of the U.S. population and possibly almost 80% worldwide. [49] Around 810% of men and 1821% of women in Iceland and 6% of men and 17% of women in the Netherlands, have green eyes. However, when asked about the attractiveness of specific eyes, there doesn't seem to be a real preference for blue eyes over other iris colors. At one time, it was believed that eye color, blue eyes included, was a simple genetic trait. [26] It is important to always wear sunglasses and eyeglasses whenever possible - especially when spending time outdoors or staring at screens for long periods of time. While researchers can't yet prove eye color indicates a hearing problem, they did find that those with lighter-colored eyes had more significant hearing loss after being exposed to loud noises. October 2014. If you inherit blue-eye genes from your parents, it means that your eyes will have less of a pigment called melanin in them. Eye melanoma is known to be more common for those with fair skin and light-colored eyes. Red hair is . And in the end, we have gone through some maps provided by Unsafe Harbour made on basis of some scientific research on the matter of countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. The iris is the colored part of your eye that has multiple layers. Norway. Green eyes: The most attractive eye color? Approximately 27% of people in the United States and between 8% and 10% of the world's population have blue eyes. While blue eyes may be rare . Although these conditions cannot permanently change the color of the iris, they generally affect the eyes sclera or cornea. Of those four, green is the rarest. The amount of damage depends on wavelength and exposure time . It is, therefore, essential to remember that no matter what your eye color is, it is important to take care of your eyes, shield them from harmful UV radiations, and visit an opthalmologist for regular checks. One thing that truly sets people apart is their eye color. They look blue because of how light is reflected. [14] As of 2006[update], one out of every six Americans, or 16.6% of the total US population, has blue eyes,[65] including 22.3% of whites. Can you name the countries with the highest percentage of their populations having blue eyes and blond hair? Viking stereotypes for being tall, strong, blond and blue-eyed are confirmed at least for the last two matters in the case of Denmark. Rather than including a blue pigment, they actually just lack the pigment that makes eyes brown. In fact, only about 17 percent of the world's population has blue eyes. Some people attribute certain qualities to eye color. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye (the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light). Sturm R.A. & Larsson M., Genetics of human iris colour and patterns, Pigment Cell Melanoma Res, 22:544-562, 2009. [3]:9. Blue eyes are also found in Central Asia, North Africa, South Asia, West Asia, and Southern Europe. Eye color is partially affected by light, especially blue eyes, which get their color specifically by light entering and reflecting out of the eye. As we have noted, blonde hair and light eyes depend on the amount of melanin extracted. Contact an eye doctor if you need medical attention. Eye color is one of the first things people notice about one another. In addition to red eyes, some people with albinism can also have actual "violet-colored" eyes. Europe was the epicenter of the blue-eye gene mutation. Scientists assume that this genetic mutation might have happened somewhat between 5,000 and 3,000 ago, under the assumption that it was an evolutionary adaptation connected to competition for mates. [8], The genetics and inheritance of eye color in humans is complicated. Quizzes; Events; Quiz Creation; Community; Videos; Private Events . [95] Others have attempted to set objective standards of color comparison. Blue eyes are caused by a gene mutation. Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes, Eye color as a risk factor for acquired sensorineural hearing loss: A review, A global view of the OCA2-HERC2 region and pigmentation. As explained by livescience.com, "a single mutation which arose as recently as . In Norway, an estimated 75% of the population . In addition to genetics, the anatomic structure of the iris can also affect eye color to some degree. 4. The North American brothers are similarly blonde-haired and blue-eyed. All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. [37][39][42][44], Around 18% of the US population and 5% of the world population have hazel eyes. Even people with the lightest blue eyes, with no melanin on the front of the iris at all, have dark brown coloration on the back of it, to prevent light from scattering around inside the eye. [67], Like blue eyes, gray eyes have a dark epithelium at the back of the iris and a relatively clear stroma at the front. The green color is from a combination of a blue hue from Rayleigh scattering and "yellow" from the yellow pigment called lipochrome. [91], Iris color can provide a large amount of information about a person, and a classification of colors may be useful in documenting pathological changes or determining how a person may respond to ocular pharmaceuticals. [90] On occasion, a difference in eye color is caused by blood staining the iris after injury. The gray-eyed have little or no melanin in their iris but have more collagen in the stroma part of the eye. Moreover, a gray iris may indicate uveitis, while those with blue, green, or gray eyes are at an increased risk of uveal melanoma. [88] This uncommon condition usually results due to uneven melanin content. But a survey of more than 25,000 people from 12 countries has . Amber 5.0%. Green eyes are common in Europe's Central, Western, and Northern regions. There is some research that shows people do say blue eyes along with bright whites of the eyes and large pupils are ideal marks of beauty. Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes. [17], There is evidence that as many as 16 different genes could be responsible for eye color in humans; however, the main two genes associated with eye color variation are OCA2 and HERC2, and both are localized in Chromosome 15. A mosaic can have two different colored eyes if the DNA difference happens to be in an eye-color gene. Its been suggested that the cooler climate of northern Europe may have encouraged the rise of a population of people with lighter eyes, hair and skin. The incidence of blue eyes continues to decline among American children. As of 2010, researchers believe that as many as 16 different genes influence eye color in humans, and most of these genes play a crucial role in the production, transportation, and storage of melanin pigment. Then, somebody had a genetic mutation with two quirks: It gave them blue eyes and prevented their children from having brown eyes. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for this eye color. Because of this, the pupillary reflex is much more pronounced in albino individuals, and this can emphasize the red eye effect in photographs. Blue eyes aren't even actually blue. While eye color is not a defining characteristic of a person, it can be interesting to see how the distribution of different colors varies from place to place. As that generation had children and moved around, the blue eye mutation continued to spread across many parts of the globe. Close to 3% of people in the world have gray eyes. About half of people living in the U.S. and a higher population in Africa, and Asia are brown-eyed. "They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.". A study in Rotterdam (2009) found that it was possible to predict eye color with more than 90% accuracy for brown and blue using just six SNPs. Mujica-Mota MA, Schermbrucker J, Daniel SJ. Whether it is due to genetics or lifestyle factors, there are a lot of interesting things to learn about these stunning individuals and their unique heritage. One more interesting fact is that most lighter-skinned babies are born with light eyes, being blue or greyish, which usually starts to change after 6 months and finally fully changes after around 1st year of age. MedlinePlus. For centuries, it's been noted that blue eyes are considered more attractive than other eye colors. In addition to having significantly less melanin in their iris than people with brown eyes, hazel eyes or green eyes, blue-eyed individuals don't have very much variation in the part of their DNA responsible for melanin production. While limited, there is some research showing that blue eyes may protect you against seasonal affective disorder. Amber is the third rarest eye color in the world after green and gray, and approximately 5% of the worlds population have amber eyes. She has spent the last 10 years working for an internationally recognized medical facility where she found her passion for making complicated topics easier to understand. One mutation 10,000 years ago has today resulted in almost 200 million pairs of blue eyes, and people with blue eyes have more blue-eyed children. Are Blue-Eyed People More Likely to Get Macular Degeneration? An iris that appears blue under this method of observation is more likely to remain blue as the infant ages. [46], Green eyes are most common in Northern, Western and Central Europe. Image credit: Aleksandar Mijatovic via Shutterstock. Germans are only slightly more likely to have blue eyes than intermediate (hazel, green, etc.) For example, Asians typically have brown eyes, while Europeans are more likely to have eyes of blue or other lighter hues. This is why hazel eyes can be mistaken as amber and vice versa. 2000-2023 AAV Media, LLC. Recent advances in ancient DNA technology have revealed some of the history of eye color in Europe. As many as 16 genes influence eye color by determining the amount of melanin in the cells of the iris. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Most eye color changes have been observed or reported in the Caucasian population with hazel and amber eyes. (An estimated 55 percent of all people . That doesn't necessarily mean that the parents themselves have to have blue eyes; it's possible they carry the gene, but it is recessive. In those with milder forms of albinism, the color of the iris is typically blue but can vary from blue to brown. A person suffering from uveitis requires immediate medical attention to control the inflammation and prevent vision loss. Adult eye color is usually established between 3 and 6 months of age, though this can be later. It's also the story of the bond she fights to maintain with her 10 year-old sister, Arina. Blue eyes actually didn't exist 10,000 years ago. Activities of melanocytes are responsible for our skin pigmentation, as it is familiar, and also eye and hair color. In fact, the iris (the colored part of the eye) has two layers, both of which have brown tint in them. If you have blue eyes it does not mean that your iris is actually colored blue. Brown-eyed individuals, on the other hand, have a lot more variation. Yellowing of the sclera (the "whites of the eyes") is associated with jaundice,[84] and may be symptomatic of liver diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis. Blue 8.0%. While it's a very rare type of cancer, people with blue eyes are at higher risk of developing ocular uveal melanoma. [50] Among European Americans, green eyes are most common among those of recent Celtic and Germanic ancestry with about 16%. The brightly colored eyes of many bird species result from the presence of other pigments, such as pteridines, purines, and carotenoids. 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