What do different eyes mean in a person. What is eye heterochromia? Why do people have different eyes

Eyes of different color is heterochromia. Is this disease dangerous and should it be treated? The symptoms, causes and consequences of this unusual phenomenon are described in detail in the article.

The chance of meeting a person with eyes of different colors is extremely small. This disease occurs in less than 1% of the world's population, more often in women than in men.

Even some 200 years ago, odd-eyed people were burned at the stake, considering women to be sorceresses, and men to be witchers. People sincerely believed that a different eye color is a sign of the devil, and this seal must be disposed of in the most radical way. Over time, an explanation for this phenomenon was found.

Why do people have different colored eyes?

The variegation of the iris is a characteristic sign of heterochromia, a disease in which a deficiency or excess of melanin pigment, which is responsible for the color of tissues, is formed in the body.

Heterochromia comes in many forms and can be classified as:

The reasons for the development of this disease can be divided into:

Congenital. The anomaly is inherited from one of the parents or distant ancestors. Moreover, it is not necessary that this violation will manifest itself in every next generation. Heterochromia can be rare even within the same family.
Acquired. The disease develops as a result of injuries, tumors, or the use of certain drugs for treatment.

Congenital heterochromia may not be an independent anomaly, but a concomitant symptom of another hereditary disease. Therefore, it is better that the child is examined by an ophthalmologist, and, if necessary, other specialists.

Acquired heterochromia, like the born form, can be caused by a number of diseases. It:

Horner's syndrome;
pigment dispersion;
Waardenburg syndrome;
Duane's syndrome;
Fuchs;
siderosis;
lymphoma;
leukemia;
melanoma;
a brain tumor;
previous eye injury.

Classification according to causes

Depending on the reasons that caused the anomaly, heterochromia is conditionally divided into three forms.

Simple. Rarely, this is a congenital anomaly that is not accompanied by eye diseases and other systemic disorders. More often, the disease develops against the background of weakness of the cervical sympathetic nerve (other symptoms are ptosis of the eyelids, narrowed, displacement of the eyeball) or due to syndromes of pigment dispersion, Horner, Waardenburg.
Complicated. It develops with Fuchs syndrome, it is difficult to diagnose (visually poorly visible). Pathological processes are accompanied by visual impairment, clouding of the lens, degeneration of the iris and other eye diseases.
Acquired. Occurs against the background of injuries, tumors, inflammation, illiterate use of certain medications for the eyes (drops, ointments). The ingress of iron fragments leads to the development of siderosis, and copper particles to chalcosis. In this case, the damaged eye acquires an intense green-blue or rusty-brown color.

Whether it is necessary to treat?

As a rule, no pathological changes in the work of the eyeball occur, and various pigmentation does not affect visual acuity. The perception of colors, shapes and sizes of surrounding objects is not disturbed. However, not all patients with heterochromia are ready to take their unique appearance for granted and try to get rid of this uninvited feature. The easiest way to do this is with .

Despite the fact that it does not make sense to treat the disease, there are cases when surgery is simply necessary. For example, if the cause of the disease is siderosis and chalcosis (deposition of metal salts in the tissues of the iris and lens), then an operation is performed to restore the true color of the eyes, as a result of which the causes of this disease are eliminated.

If any disease caused heterochromia, other symptoms are noted, appropriate treatment is carried out. This may be hormone therapy with steroids, laser exposure, other types of surgery. The choice of a specific method of treatment is carried out by the doctor based on the diagnosis and the individual characteristics of the patient.

And if, with a congenital disorder, the color of the iris in both eyes will never become the same, then in the case of acquired heterochromia, the original color of the iris can be restored.

Eyes play a huge role in a person's appearance. Some people even wear lenses of a different color to completely change the look. But there are cases when no lenses are needed to attract attention. You have probably noticed men and women whose eye color is different. And if you wondered why people have different eye colors and what it means, we will be happy to answer it.

How is human eye color formed?

Our genetics has only three pigments to form eye color. Yellow, blue and brown help make up all the hues we can see in nature. Some of these components are present in a larger amount, some in a smaller amount - as a result, we observe brown, gray, green, blue eyes. Almost always they are completely identical in appearance, but there are also unusual options when the color is completely different. We hasten to assure you: this difference affects only the appearance of a person and nothing else.

Different eye color: what is it called?

This phenomenon is so non-standard that it was carefully studied by scientists and received its own name - heterochromia. Literally, this word translates as "another color." This feature occurs in ten people per thousand, but you should not think that it catches the eye of everyone. Heterochromia can be mild and noticeable only with a careful comparison of the eyes. Often the sign is so weak that the person himself does not know about it. We see only what attracts attention - that is, the maximum differences.

Who can get heterochromia?

This phenomenon occurs in both men and women. But studies have shown that the latter are much more likely to have different eye colors. We consider this a plus, because many ladies want to be unique and inimitable. But heterochromia is not a privilege of human appearance. It also manifests itself in animals: dogs, cats, horses.

Are the eyes always perfectly asymmetrical in color?

It does not necessarily happen that one eye is specifically brown, and the other is pure blue. This phenomenon is more mysterious and non-standard. One eye can have one color, and the second one can include two at once, and the border will be contrasting and bright. This does not affect the ability to see or perceive information in any way. If a person did not know that he had such a feature, he would never even feel that something was wrong. Let's take a closer look at the types of differences.

Complete heterochromia

In this case, the eyes are endowed with separate colors, painted evenly. The contrast is usually quite bright. The most common combination in nature is blue and brown. At the same time, animals have exactly the same pattern. If you look at photos on the Internet, it becomes clear: other combinations are much less common.

Partial heterochromia

We have already talked about this phenomenon. It involves partial staining on the same eye. The iris can be half colored, just have some spots or sectors - there is no pattern here either, it all depends on the creativity of nature. Another such variant of the anomalous phenomenon is called a sector.

Circular heterochromia

This is the most rare, unique option. In this case, the iris is colored as if by rings that overlap each other. A person who has such a feature will definitely attract attention - and in an era when everyone strives for popularity, he can even make his zest part of the PR.

Heredity

The simplest option is to get multi-colored eyes as a result of heredity. But this does not mean that such a trait will be transmitted from parents to children in the same family. Even among relatives, the phenomenon is most often unique, unusual. It’s just that some kind of mutation occurred during the data transfer, which caused this feature. But not everything is as happy as it might seem at once. The next factor is added to heredity, which must certainly be taken into account.

Some diseases

Among the diseases that cause this phenomenon, we can distinguish: Horner's syndrome, type 1 neurofibromatosis, pigment dispersion, Waardenburg syndrome, piebaldism, siderosis, brain tumor, melanoma, iridocyclitis. You can read about all these diseases on the Internet, but we do not recommend doing this - many people immediately begin to find symptoms in themselves that are not really related. The most correct approach is to go to a doctor who will conduct the necessary studies and will decide for himself whether it is worth worrying about.

Eye injury

A person can get an eye injury in any circumstances - at home, in an accident, in a fight, etc. In this case, a color change may also follow. Sometimes this is the only outcome of an unpleasant situation, which is good news, because in other cases the consequences are even worse.

Can heterochromia be cured?

This phenomenon can be treated only when it appears as a result of the same injury or acquired disease. Then, in some cases, it is possible to restore the previous pigmentation if all negative factors are eliminated. When the phenomenon is hereditary and is the result of small failures in the genetic material, nothing can be done. But you should not be upset about this either: eyes of different colors look very interesting, unusual and attract the attention of people.

A person with different eye colors stands out from the crowd, right? Such a phenomenon looks extremely interesting and extravagant. What is it called when a person has different eyes? What is it called when a person has both eyes of different colors? Is it a disease or a specific feature? How were such individuals dealt with in ancient times?

Such a “miracle of nature”, when one person has a completely or partially different eye color, is called heterochromia. Unfortunately, in most cases, the presence of different eye colors signals a disease progressing inside a person.

Heterochromia - different eye color: a disease or an individual feature

As mentioned earlier, in 99% of cases, multi-colored eyes signal a person's undermined health. As a rule, this feature has been known since childhood and is caused by a lack of melanin. The hormone responsible for the pigmentation of our body - hair, skin and iris. In milder cases, only the irises are affected, and, moreover, partially. In neglected ones, the color of the eyes is radically different. This is usually accompanied by a violation of pigmentation of the skin and hair.

Multi-colored eyes in humans can also be an acquired “effect”: in case of disruption of the nervous system, hormonal failure, diseases associated with disruption and partial dysfunction of the optic nerve.

Eye color changes - I get sick

No, not always a change in the color of the eyes or one of them is associated with an increase in the disease. Changes in tone are quite possible with changes in lighting, seasons, or simply, maturation of the body.

Animals are more likely to have different eye colors. The reasons for the appearance are almost identical with the "human".

It is extremely common to notice changes in eye color in girls during menstruation. Also, in the female gender, discrepancies in tone can be noted during the shedding of tears. As soon as the work of the lacrimal glands is activated, the color of the eyes becomes more saturated.

What were people with different eye colors called in ancient times?

In ancient times, people with different eye colors were considered magicians and sorcerers. It was believed that only the elect could receive such a "mark" from above. Such people were wary and even afraid.

Of course, no one "undertook" to fight with such individuals. In every way they avoided eye contact, did not swear in the direction of the “multi-colored” in his presence.

History has not recorded any mass unrest or terrible incidents associated with the presence of different eye colors. Over time, everything fell into place. Medicine flourished, research was done.

Now - a person with different eye colors is not a magician and a wizard, but just a special person with some "interesting things".

Eyes of different colors: what to do

Eyes of different colors, what to do?

The color of a person's eyes depends on the amount of the hormone melanin. It is he who is responsible for the brightness of the shade of the iris. The color of the iris is determined after fertilization of the egg and most often depends on belonging to a particular race. But it very rarely happens that the color of one eye of a born person is radically different from the other. This phenomenon is called complete heterochromia. It happens even less often that the color of one eye has several different shades.

Congenital heterochromia is not dangerous and is not a disease.
This is a consequence of insufficient or excessive production of melanin.
If a small amount of the hormone is produced, then one eye will be lighter than the other.
Eyes of different colors in the photo look especially unnatural and strange, but nothing can be done about this feature of the body.

A feature of a person or a sign of a disease?

Another thing is if the color of a person's eyes becomes different during life. In this case, it is worth paying close attention to the reasons for the changes. It is possible, of course, that failures in the hormonal background are again to blame for this. But sometimes a change in eye color can be a sign of various acquired diseases:

rheumatism;
tuberculosis;
the formation of tumors;
inflammation of the iris.

Also, eye color may change after ophthalmic surgery, during severe inflammation, or after the use of certain medications.

Do not panic and be upset if you find yourself or your child with eyes of a different color. Why the eyes are of different colors, in this situation, an examination by a doctor will prompt. But, most likely, an experienced specialist will calm such a patient. People with different eyes see no worse than others, and live a normal full life. Among the phenomena there are many stars of world cinema and stage. For example, David Bowie acquired heterochromia after a severe injury, and Kate Bosworth and Christopher Walken received this eye color from birth.

It is not so often that people with different eye colors are found on the street, only one 1% of the inhabitants of the globe has such a phenomenal detail in their appearance. In ancient times, the owners of such a highlight as a multi-colored eye iris were treated with great apprehension, believing that such an anomaly was fraught with something magical. Now people with different colored eyes know that this condition is called heterochromia, and it is provoked by quite understandable reasons.

Why are the eyes different?

Scientists have researched and proved that different eyes in a person is a pathological phenomenon called heterochromia. The causes of occurrence depend on an overabundance or lack of melanin pigment in the eye iris, which determines the color of the organ of vision. A common cause of such a phenomenal phenomenon in human appearance is heredity. Heterochromia can also be caused by acquired factors, including:

Waardenburg syndrome. A severe form of a genetic disease, which is characterized by a chaotic arrangement of the inner corners of the eyes, a different color of the iris, and partial deafness.
Eye inflammation. Inflammatory process in the iris. The cause of the occurrence can be such serious pathologies as tuberculosis, oncology and complicated forms of influenza.
Glaucoma. Therapy of such a disease requires treatment with an extensive list of drugs. A large number of medications can affect the production of melanin, and therefore discoloration is possible.
Foreign body. In case of mechanical injury, when a foreign object is in the eye apparatus for a long time, the color of the iris may change. This process can be prevented by timely removal of the foreign body and proper medical treatment.
Eye hemorrhage. It happens most often due to high eye pressure. Due to the accumulation of blood in the iris, the color changes.

What kinds exist?

Most often you can meet the owners of complete heterochromia, which is striking.

The form of the disease is characterized by two-color eyes, they have a completely different color. This type of disease is considered the most common, and most often people are born already with a genetic pathology. It is almost impossible to acquire this form of heterochromia. This is an absolute contrast when two eyes of different colors, for example, blue and brown, green and black.

Partial

It is also called a sector. This species is characterized by not one, but two colors of one eye iris. This means that the eye has two or three scales of color: it can be brown, gray and blue, blue with white patches. Often this type of heterochromia occurs due to mechanical trauma, is a complication of the disease.

Central

Another name for heterochromia is circular. With this form, the iris of the shell consists of several circles and they clearly differ in color from each other. According to the results of numerous studies, it was found that this type of pathology is more common in women, and less often in the strong half of humanity.

If a child has different eyes at birth, this is a hereditary disease, and there is no reason to panic. If the iris has changed color as a result of a serious illness or mechanical injury, the patient needs to see a doctor urgently.