Will eye color change with age?

You have probably noticed that almost all European children are born with dark blue eyes. However, their eye color may change during the first year of life. This is due to the fact that a newborn baby has very little melanin pigment in the iris, and its amount may significantly increase during the first year, which can change the child’s eye color. However, some babies are born with brown eyes. In such children, the eye color does not change and remains the same throughout their lives.

Whether the baby’s eye color will change can be determined by carefully examining the baby’s iris: if there are dark spots in the iris, the child’s eyes will most likely darken with age. However, such dark spots in the iris may also be normal pigmentation caused by melanin deposits. Thus, the eye color can remain the same throughout life as it was in infancy.

It is believed that eye color may also change due to hormonal changes in the body (for example, during pregnancy or under strong emotional stress). This does not mean that your blue eyes will turn brown or vice versa, but the shade may become lighter or darker. Hormonal eye drops work on the same principle — prolonged use may cause the iris to darken.

Additionally, the shade of our eyes may change under the influence of environmental factors such as indoor lighting, surroundings, makeup, clothing colors, etc.

Our iris is controlled by a group of muscles that contract and expand, thus controlling the size of the pupil. The pupil dilates in low light and constricts in bright light. It also constricts when we focus our gaze on an object, such as a book we are reading. As the pupil size changes, the pigments in the iris are compressed or spread, which slightly affects the eye color shade.