Eye Colors, Blue

Last in the series of eye colors. Naturally blue eyes are caused by having low melanin levels in the iris - the same stuff that gives skin its pigment and color. In fact, we have all had blue eyes at one point in our lives, because all babies are born with blue eyes. For most people, their eyes change color as they grow older and develop melanin, but for a select few who do not develop as much melanin, their eyes stay blue forever. Eyes appear blue for the same reason as the sky is blue. It is a process called Rayleigh Scattering.

In Iceland, 80% of the population has blue eyes. The statistics are similar in the rest of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, where blue eyes are very common. Blue eyes can also be found in some areas of Western Asia, as well as in Israel. Blue eyes are extremely rare in Africa. People with blue eyes are becoming less common in the US.

For a long time it was believed that blue eyes were caused by a recessive gene, but lately this has been found to be untrue. People with blue eyes tend to have a higher tolerance to alcohol than those without.

Silver eye color is quite rare, although many consider silver eyes to be a variation of blue eye color. Like blue eyes, silver eyes are the result of a very low amount of pigmentation in the eye, which reflects a gray-silver appearance. Silver eye color is most common in eastern European countries, and is one of the more rare eye colors worldwide.