RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Siely on Saturday 17 May 25 07:40 BST (UK)
-
Several independent internet sources say that green eyes are the rarest eye colour in the world. Does anyone know of a respected reference on eye colour to verify this properly ?
-
Light green or moss green?
-
Green eyes are often debated as the rarest eye color, but most people would agree that red, violet and gray eyes are far less common. A large amount of melanin is not present in green eyes, which leads to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering, where light is reflected rather than absorbed by the pigment in the eyes, which results in your eyes appearing green. Green eyes are light brown in colour with a yellow, golden or orange pigmentation called lipochrome.
Quoting from https://lowcostglasses.co.uk/rarest-eye-colour-in-uk/
-
Thank you.
-
I was getting confused with Hazel eyes which can be largely green apparently.
-
From the same source:
Hazel eyes
Typically, hazel eyes have a yellowish brown colour with flecks of gold, green, brown and even blue in them. There is a similar amount of melanin present in these types of eyes as in brown eyes, however the melanin is distributed differently, appearing more around the outer edge of the eye instead of the center. It is very attractive to have hazel eyes because they reflect light beautifully. The Rayleigh scattering effect influences the colour of green eyes as well.
-
An AI response:
Green is widely recognized as the rarest of the main human eye colors. Only about 2% of the global population has naturally green eyes, making them significantly less common than brown, blue, or hazel eyes[2][4][6]. This rarity is consistent across multiple scientific and medical sources, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology[2][6].
However, it's important to note that while green is the rarest among the primary eye colors, even rarer hues exist but are not typically classified as standard eye colors. For example, gray eyes may be even less common than green, with some estimates placing their global prevalence at less than 1%[1][3][9]. Additionally, extremely rare colors such as red or violet can occur, usually as a result of specific genetic conditions like albinism, but these are considered medical anomalies rather than standard variations[3][9].
In summary, green is the rarest common eye color in the general population, but gray, red, and violet eyes are even rarer, though they are not usually included in the main eye color categories[1][3][9].
Sources
[1] What Is the Rarest Eye Color? - Verywell Health https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-the-rarest-eye-color-5087302
[2] What's the Rarest Eye Color, and Why? - AARP https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2022/rarest-eye-color.html
[3] What is the rarest eye colour in the world? - BBC Science Focus ... https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/what-is-the-rarest-eye-colour-in-the-world
[4] 10 Facts About Green Eyes - Kugler Vision https://lasikomaha.com/10-facts-about-green-eyes/
[5] Why Green Eyes Are 'Actually Really Rare', According To Experts https://www.newsweek.com/green-eyes-why-rare-genetics-explained-experts-1866040
[6] What is the rarest eye color? - USA Today https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/12/08/there-are-four-main-eye-colors-in-the-human-population-the-percentage-of-people-with-each-varies-acr/71725771007/
[7] TIL The rarest eye color is green, as only about 2 percent of ... - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1fjd739/til_the_rarest_eye_color_is_green_as_only_about_2/
[8] Eye color - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color
[9] What Is the Rarest Eye Color? | Warby Parker https://www.warbyparker.com/learn/rarest-eye-color
-
Confirmation in the scientific literature:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32488945/?utm_source=perplexity (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32488945/?utm_source=perplexity)
-
I don't have green eyes, I've always classed mine as blue but when I read my 3 x gt grandfather's description on his mariner's record, his eyes were described as grey and it set me wondering. My eyes are a dark blue but would they be classed as grey? Having looked it up on the Internet I'm still no wiser! :D
All of my family on both sides including grandparents have had blue eyes of varying shades, no way of finding how far back that goes but it's intriguing.
-
There is also:
Amber eyes
The amber eye colour is often confused with hazel eyes, however, it is actually very rare. About 5% of the population is thought to possess this eye colour. Amber eyes are usually yellowish-brown in colour; sometimes they may even appear golden or orange in colour. The reason they are this colour is because they contain a large amount of yellowish pigmentation called lipochrome.
-
I have green or greenish eyes, but most of the family have blue. My mother was rather peeved about a description, possibly when she joined the WAAF; light brown hair and blue-grey eyes. She thought it was very boring! There is a strain of red hair in the family and I always wished I had the red hair as well as the green eyes and pale, freckly skin. ::)
-
Grading of Iris Color with an Extended Photographic Reference Set
https://www.journalofoptometry.org/en-grading-iris-color-with-an-articulo-S1888429608700608
I am a #20 or 21.
-
I read some anthropology that said that 10,000 years ago all humans had brown eyes. All other colours are due to ancient genetic mutations.
-
Grading of Iris Color with an Extended Photographic Reference Set
https://www.journalofoptometry.org/en-grading-iris-color-with-an-articulo-S1888429608700608
I am a #20 or 21.
Reckon I am a 14.
-
I'm a 16
-
Possibly 23/24
-
A 12, I think.
-
Will climate change affect eye colour ?
-
Do you have a scientific explanation as to how climate change can affecy eye colour?
I've heard some wacky theories about climate change, but this takes the top prize! ;D ;D
-
Deleted
-
I don’t even see mine there - a basic blue with greyish tones, lots of people have a similar colour. And where is true blue ( a la Paul Newman)? Even my OH’s blues, which are lighter than mine, aren’t represented.
-
Several independent internet sources say that green eyes are the rarest eye colour in the world. Does anyone know of a respected reference on eye colour to verify this properly ?
Dr. Joseph Allen OD FAAO (Doctor of Optometry) and (Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry)
Some notes I made from his video:- The Rarest Eye Colors in the World - Eyes Colors Explained
From the most common to the least common.
The rarest eye colour is Black eyes.
They have no eye colour, because they have no Iris and a condition called Aniridia. (Another source says their Iris didn't develop properly).
They are born with it due to a mutation on their PAX6 gene.
A few people will also develop Aniridia due to Trauma or Surgical Complications.
---------------
The second most rare Colour is Red or Red and Pink (less than 1%) and sometimes their Red eyes might also look Violet. They have a condition called Albinism, an inherited condition.
We were shown an example and their eyes were unforgettably striking Red.
Mark
Found the source and added source information.
-
A dear friend of mine had beautiful cornflower blue eyes ( as an aside, with a double row of very long eyelashes). One day I noticed that his eyes were a true violet. He was suffering from cancer and died a few months later. I think the change was caused either by his illness, or the treatment he was receiving.
Looking at Bushin's description of rare eye colours caused by medical conditions, I can see the possibility.
-
I have brown eyes, My Husband has Blue eyes, My son Has Green eyes and my Daughter has Hazel eyes with Amber flecks.
Carol