{"id":33036,"date":"2025-12-18T05:40:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clearly.ca\/thelook\/?p=33036"},"modified":"2025-12-18T05:40:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:40:42","slug":"hazel-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clearly.ca\/thelook\/hazel-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Hazel eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hazel eyes can be dark, light, or somewhere in between. Some people have\u00a0hazel brown eyes, and some have hazel green eyes. Others may have flecks of brown, gold, green, or even blue. Read on to learn how this unique shade is possible, and just how rare it is around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: @geraldiinegonzalez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How eye\u00a0colour\u00a0is\u00a0determined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eye\u00a0colour\u00a0is the unique hue seen in the iris (the\u00a0coloured\u00a0part of the eye). It is\u00a0determined\u00a0by genetics and a pigment in the body called melanin. This may sound simple, but many pieces\u00a0have to\u00a0come together, in just the right way, to make your eyes look the way they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melanin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Melanin is a pigment that gives your hair, skin, and eyes distinctive tones. The more melanin you have, the darker your complexion and features are likely to be. The types and levels of melanin your body produces and distributes are\u00a0largely determined\u00a0by your genetic makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Genetics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to past (and popular) belief, the genetics behind eye colour are much more complex than the idea that brown eyes are dominant and blue eyes are recessive. Experts have since determined that there are many different genes, as well as genetic mutations, that can influence eye colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What causes hazel eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like other shades, the\u00a0hazel eye\u00a0colour\u00a0is\u00a0determined\u00a0by genetics and melanin. But\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the way light interacts with the melanin in the iris that makes hazel eyes so special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The iris has two layers \u2014 front and back \u2014 in which melanin may be found in varying types and amounts.\u00a0Blue and green eyes have a more uniform\u00a0colour\u00a0because the melanin in the iris is spread out evenly between the two layers. Hazel eyes have an uneven distribution, which makes multiple hues in the iris possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the variation of melanin levels and types, hazel eyes may\u00a0contain\u00a0a mixture of green, brown, gold, and even blue shades or flecks throughout the iris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazel eyes have less melanin overall than brown eyes, which means they absorb less light. Any unabsorbed light is scattered across the iris and reflected to display the hazel eye\u00a0colour\u00a0that people see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Medical reasons for hazel eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eyes may have a hazel appearance as the result of a specific condition or medication, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n