What Determines Eye Colorand which Glasses Work Best for Your Eye Color?
Have you ever wondered how you got your eye color? Or how someone with a family full of brown-eyed people can have blue eyes?
Eye color has fascinated scientists for decades—and they’re still learning what determines eye color.
Keep reading to get a basic understanding of eye genetics and how to select glasses that make your eye color stand out.
Where Do Eyes Get Their Color?
The colored part of your eye is called the iris, which surrounds the tiny black hole that is your pupil. The iris has two layers: one that shows your eye color and a back layer that absorbs light and allows you to see.
Interestingly, the back layer of everyone’s iris is brown, even if they have light eyes.
The amount of melanin in your body is what determines your eye color. Those with a lot of melanin have darker eyes, while those with less have lighter eyes. Fun fact: Like fingerprints, everyone’s eye color is unique, so no two people have the exact same shade of eye color.
What Determines Eye Color?
Until recently, scientists believed a single gene determined eye color. But, as it turns out, genetics is more complicated than that.
A 2021 study found that not one but dozens of genes determine a person’s eye color (at least 61 genes, to be precise). And despite what you may have learned in high school biology class, your eye color isn’t inherited solely from your parents.
Scientists now believe your eye color can be determined by other relatives as well as by genetic variations, which explains how two blue-eyed parents can sometimes produce brown-eyed offspring.
How Do Eye Color Genetics Work?
We’re going back to school (just temporarily, so don't panic). Let’s have a quick science lesson on genes.
In every cell of your body, there is a nucleus that holds all your genetic information. That genetic information comes as 46 chromosomes, divided into 23 pairs. In each of the 23 pairs, you have one chromosome from each parent.
Chromosomes can be further subdivided into smaller sections called genes, and individual genes come in different varieties known as alleles. The alleles in your genetic code act as the decision-makers.
For every trait you inherit from your parents, you have two alleles competing for dominance, one on each paired chromosome. When the alleles are the same, they’re called homozygous. When they’re different, they’re called heterozygous.
If the alleles are heterozygous, one is dominant and one is recessive. Traits on dominant alleles "win." To give a simplified example, let’s say a baby has genes for brown eyes and blue eyes. Which eye color is dominant? Brown eye color is dominant and blue eye color is recessive, so the baby will have brown eyes.
Of course, since scientists now know multiple genes contribute to eye color, the process is not quite this simple. But the general principles remain true—alleles that yield brown eyes are dominant over alleles for lighter eye colors.
How Many Different Eye Colors Are There?
Scientists believe that up until 10,000 years ago, everyone had brown eyes. Then a random mutation resulted in less melanin production, and the first blue-eyed baby was born.
Today, these are the six most common eye colors:
- Brown: The most dominant eye color. About 50% of people in the US have brown eyes.
- Blue: The second most common color. One in four people in the US has blue eyes.
- Amber: Tied for the third most common color and different from hazel. Amber is always a golden or copper color.
- Hazel: Tied for the third most common color and can "change" color to appear green, light brown or gold. Hazel-eyed individuals make up just 18% of the US population.
- Gray: Often mistaken for blue and is pretty rare.
- Green: The second-rarest color. Only 9% of the population in the US has green eyes.
Some people have a different color in one eye than they do in the other. This is characteristic of a benign condition called heterochromia.
How to Pick Eyeglasses Based on Eye Color
As with face shape or hair color, you can pick men’s or women’s frames to best suit your eye color.
Brown Eyes
If you have brown eyes, frames in warm colors like browns, golds, and earthy greens complement your brown eyes. But to make them stand out, go for cool colors like blues and purples. No need to just have a single color either; patterns work well for darker shades of brown.
Of course, if you like a classic look, black frames always look good with all shades of brown eye color.
Blue Eyes
Blue eyes stand out on their own, so for those who prefer a more subtle look, choose gray or silver frames. Their lightness highlights the light tones in your eyes.
Are you looking for something more exciting? Use bright oranges, browns and reds to make your blue eyes pop. Warm colors make blue eyes look more vivid because they’re opposite on the color wheel.
Plus, if you have any flecks of brown or gold, warm colors highlight that unusual feature.
Amber Eyes
While similar to brown eyes, amber eyes have a more coppery look. If you want frames that show off their golden sheen, go for complementary colors like purple or dark blue, because they emphasize the eyes’ unique color.
For a subtle look, classic black frames complement your amber eyes nicely.
Hazel Eyes
Hazel eyes look good in both warm and cool colors because they are mix of greens, blues and browns.
If you’re looking to make your hazel eyes stand out as much as possible, try frames in different shades of pink and gold. Pink is one of the lightest colors in the warm color family, so it stands out against the earthy tones of hazel eyes.
Gold frames are great for those fortunate to have little flecks of gold in their iris—and gold frames really help them stand out.
Gray Eyes
Those with gray eyes can pick frames of any color because gray is a neutral color. If you have paler gray eyes, go for more muted colors like pastels or silvers.
Darker gray eyes can use deeper colors like jewel tones or black to make their eyes shine.
Avoid gray frames because they tend to cancel out the unique shades of color in your eyes.
Green Eyes
If you have green eyes, they already stand out because of how rare they are. For a muted yet complementary look, go for earth tones like brown, lavender and tan. You can also use clear or gold frames to subtly highlight your eye color.
For those looking for something bolder, look at green’s complementary color—red. Frames in the red and purple color family are especially flattering. Two-toned or tortoiseshell frames are also great options.
Get a Pair of Eye Color-enhancing Glasses at Visionworks
If you’re looking for a new pair of frames or to get your vision checked, Visionworks can help. In fact, our Associates love to help customers select glasses that bring out uniqueness and make you look great.
Here at Visionworks, we offer a 100-day return guarantee, which makes it easy to experiment with a new style or color of glasses. If you end up not liking the style or color, you can trade them back in for something that suits your personality—or eye color—better.
Make an appointment with Visionworks today. And get ready for lots of compliments on your new glasses!
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Information received through Visionworks® content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Claims regarding blue light efficiency are supported by manufacturer-provided test results.
