Heterochromia and Eye Freckles??

[Kisa]

I have central heterochromia in both eyes. Green outside and brown inside. Also, in my right eye, I have a single eye freckle.

I've always noticed my freckle (when I was little, I thought the color in my iris was leaking out :lol:), but never knew what it was until I switched Optimologists and my new doctor told me I had eye freckles and astigmatism. Apparently, eye freckles are very rare and normally(when presented) there are multiple freckles. I only have one.

When I got home that day, I looked at my eye really close for about 10 minutes and was surprised to see that I had a ring of green in my iris. I looked it up online and found out what it was called. However, it was today that I started to wonder how it happens. I took AP Biology and learned all about genetics and eye color, but I can't recall learning about heterochromia.

I looked it up and every site I clicked on said it is either genetics, injury or disease. I have bad eyesight and need glasses, but many people in my family wear glasses. I have no other symptoms that could cause this, no other family members have heterochromia, and I've never had and injuries near my head.
As for eye freckles, I can't seem to find anywhere what causes eye freckles. No family members have eye freckles either.

My questions are:

1) How could I have gotten green/brown central heterochromia?
2) What causes eye freckles?
3) What are the chances of a person having 2 rare eye conditions (one a rarity of a rarity) at the same time?

For referance, here is a picture of my right eye. The brown is near the pupil, the green is outside, and the freckle is that brown spot in the upper right corner near my iris.

[Eisa]

I have no idea, but you have a pretty eye, and I want to see the other one. :D

[Seshat]

My questions are:

1) How could I have gotten green/brown central heterochromia?
2) What causes eye freckles?
3) What are the chances of a person having 2 rare eye conditions (one a rarity of a rarity) at the same time?

1) Despite the fact that we simplify genetics into 'recessive' and 'dominant', it's actually a lot more complex than that.
For instance, with melanin (body pigment) alone, humans have both 'red melanin' and 'brown melanin'.
Red hair/green eyes is associated with red melanin.
Brown hair/brown eyes is associated with brown melanin.
Blonde hair/blue eyes has low levels of brown melanin.
Strawberry blonde hair/hazel eyes has low levels of both red and brown.
Dark red or auburn hair/dark brown or black eyes is high levels of both red and brown.
Black hair/black eyes can be very high levels of either, or of both.

BUT: even melanin isn't limited to two genes, one for red and one for brown. You probably have a particularly funky set of melanin genes, especially for the placement of melanin in the eyes.
No, I don't know exactly what sort of 'funky', but it's unusual, beautiful and (since your optical specialists don't seem to think you have an eye disease) harmless. So it sounds like a good sort of 'funky' to me.

2) If you have had it since birth, it's probably part of your unusual iris genetics. Your childhood imagination could be correct: your iris leaked. :)
More precisely, a few cells that would normally be part of the white of the eye instead got RNA instructions to collect melanin, like the iris would. They may even be functional iris cells, just not connected to the iris muscles.
NOTE: this is speculation, based on my knowledge of how infants develop in the womb. If you want an answer that you can rely on, please ask a specialist in eyes or a specialist in embryo/foetal development.
NOTE II: If it developed since birth, I can only answer with 'I'm not sure, I'd have to look it up'.

3) Clearly, at least one in six billion. ;)
Actually, I'm not sure. I'd have to look it up.

[Tsiyeria]

I did not know this was a thing. And I have it too! The heterochromia, not the eye freckle. Mine change, though. Sometimes they're green, sometimes brown, sometimes something else (I can't remember what atm). I'm pretty sure I always have that ring, though. Weird!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

My daughter has central heterochromia. They are golden brown that fan out to a blue green. My mom has very dark green eyes with brown centers, so I'm guessing that's where she got it.

[Eisa]

I did not know this was a thing. And I have it too! The heterochromia, not the eye freckle. Mine change, though. Sometimes they're green, sometimes brown, sometimes something else (I can't remember what atm). I'm pretty sure I always have that ring, though. Weird!


I might have it too, really. There's a ring of sorts around my pupils and it changes color from a different shade of blue to gray to green to brown. It's very cool.

[Hyndis]

Its actually not all that uncommon to have heterochromia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromia#Famous_people_with_heterochromia_iri dum

I also have central heterochromia. My eyes are blue and green.


And you want to know the really interesting thing? If you have heterochromia you may actually be two persons in one. You may be your own twin. Meaning you are essentially a perfect conjoined twin. Oddly enough this also does not seem to be that uncommon, but it has only been detectable in recent years since you need DNA testing technology in order to see it, and even then, you also need a reason to test a person for it, and multiple parts of their body. Just taking a blood sample won't do it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaicism

[Seshat]

IIRC, two different eye colours (eg David Bowie) can indicate Mosaicism.

[Mishi]

So that's what it's called! I have medium blue with a gold ring around each pupil and a navy ring bordering each iris. The blue appears to change depending on my mood. Jazzy has ice-blue/grey with navy rings bordering each iris, and Bubbles has deep blue with very thin radiating streaks of ice-blue and navy rings bordering each iris. Rugz has deep blue with gold flecks and a navy ring bordering each iris, they appear to darken when he's angry.

[ThirdGenRetail]

I just had to go double-check one of my eyes... The center of my eyes are brown, the outer edges of the iris' are jade-green. And my sperm-donor(IE, dead-beat dad... Met him exactly once. In court.) has the same eyes... So... This means I got heterochromia from him? My state ID lists my eyes as 'hazel', though, so... IDK now.

[Treasure]

my eyes have always been labeled as "Hazel" as well, and they look pretty similar to Kisa's pic...
and I have always been told how beautiful my eyes are (they're seriously like the first thing people notice about me) and they change color (mood or clothing - i look damn good in greens!) and I think I have an eye freckle (or 2) on my left eye;

So Kisa, I don't think your eyes are all that "Odd, unusual or rare" after all; my mom's eyes are pretty much the same as mine, and both my brothers' eyes are similar.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

I also have heterochromia, central I think. The centre of my iris, around the pupil is yellow (I have a feeling it may actually be "brown" but its a very light brown and looks yellow). From what I can see the surrounding colour appears to be gray blue, fleck with lighter colour, but then the very outer edges of the iris are dark and bluish/grayish. My eyes appear to change colour in different lights- once they looked amber, often they look blue and I even have a photo where my eyes look to be a very deep green colour. I sometimes describe my eyes as blue-green because the yellow "starburst" certainly can make it look that way in some lights, but in honesty, I think my eye colour may actually be a combination of just yellow and dark blue-gray.

From a distance my eye colour is very dull looking, but on closer inspection its pretty cool :)

[LillFilly]

Your eyes are so pretty! Such a deep rich color, like honey and green amber.

My eyes change color sometimes; But funny, all my life my eye doctor said I had brown eyes. My new doctor says they're hazel, meaning I believe a base of grey with overtones of brown, not a base of brown. I also have a Nevus, it's a freckle in the actual pigment of the eye. I think it's neat, but it can be a sign of some medical problems, but since it's only one I'm not worried about it. See?

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/picture.php?albumid=131&pictureid=680

[Eisa]

That looks cool. :D

-spams eye picture- :p

http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l369/Lillielle/th_myeye.jpg?t=1264554562

[dragon_wings]

I adore my eyes. They are my favorite thing about me. I get compliments on my eyes more than anything else. They change from blue to green to hazel to anywhere in between. There's a darker ring around the outside and inside of the iris. My driver' license says blue. But I prefer when they're green.

[dawnfire]

IIRC, two different eye colours (eg David Bowie) can indicate Mosaicism.

David Bowie's eye colours are due a fight he had as a kid.

[AccountingDrone]

I have a golden central ring with rays into a light blue iris rimmed with medium blue.

When I get pissed off they get dark blue, when I am in pain they turn gray.

My dad had dark grey eyes that would go black when he was pissed. My mom has moss green eyes with golden highlights, but her eyes do not change colors.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

Mine tend to be blue-green, occasionally with the brown center ring expanding to take over the whole iris. I was told as a kid that hazel meant your eyes could change color, so that's what I've always called it. Not feeling like taking a pic at the moment, though!

Also, my hair appears brown in most indoor light. Get me out in the bright sun, especially with a blue shirt, and the true dark auburn shows, with occasional brilliant red and gold highlights. :) A lock of it has everything from very thin gold hairs to slightly thicker red and brown ones, to the occasional very thick and coarse black ones. The latter are what we used in a couple science experiments in high school that required a human hair. (very hard to break em!) ;)

[teh_blumchenkinder]

:D I need to take a picture of my eyes. I always forget about the inner ring of browny-hazel stuff. Mostly, I just have a dullish/prussianish blue. :3/joins club

[LadyAndreca]

The coolest eyes I ever saw, a girl had one eye blue, and the other was split. The top half was green, and the bottom half was brown!

One of my brothers has two different color eyes, but it's subtle. One is gray-blue, and one is gray-green.

Mine are blue, with an amber ring around the pupil. The blue changes from gray when I'm unhappy, to midnight when I'm tired, to really really intense blue when I'm happy. Usually they're a blue-gray when I'm not feeling anything particularly strongly. Someone once told me that it's impossible for human eyes to change color and it was all in my head, but if it's all in my head, it's been consistent ever since I noticed it. :p

[blas]

I have golden brown eyes with green mixed in to them.....so, hazel?

Anyway, the anomaly on my dad's side of the family is anyone who has these hazel eyes also has a light ring of dark grey around the hazel color.

It's pretty cool.

[Sapphire Silk]

IIRC, two different eye colours (eg David Bowie) can indicate Mosaicism.

David Bowie's eyes are both blue. One is permanently dilated, so it looks off. It's from a eye injury he got in a fight.

Your eyes are so pretty! Such a deep rich color, like honey and green amber.

My eyes change color sometimes; But funny, all my life my eye doctor said I had brown eyes. My new doctor says they're hazel, meaning I believe a base of grey with overtones of brown, not a base of brown. I also have a Nevus, it's a freckle in the actual pigment of the eye. I think it's neat, but it can be a sign of some medical problems, but since it's only one I'm not worried about it. See?

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/picture.php?albumid=131&pictureid=680

As long as the nevi doesn't change it should be fine.

I've got it too: my eyes are a mix of blue and green. Usually the blue predominates because I dress in a lot of blue (my favorite color), but when I wear the right colors the green really comes out :D

[telecom_goddess]

Interesting...so I"m guessing with the "you are your own twin" thing you start out as two separate cells and then merge together completely?

I saw a show once on this...I believe one of the cases was where a mother wasn't genetically related to her own child......at least I think it was the same kind of issue.

[judecat]

nevermind seems to have a mistake in my facts

[Pairou]

Someone else with an eye freckle!! My eyes are orangey-brown, so normal, but I got a random eye freckle once that appeared out of nowhere. Then I started having a strange white thing growing on it that looks like it's gonna try to start growing over my entire eye, so I need to get that checked out. Cos you know, blindness is kiiinda bad. Especially for an art student. :p

[Geek King]

Cos you know, blindness is kiiinda bad. Especially for an art student. :p

I've seen what some folks consider art. Believe me, blindness would be no hurdle. :lol:

[Pairou]

I've seen what some folks consider art. Believe me, blindness would be no hurdle. :lol:

Touche, sir!

[Pezzle]

Woah awesome, so that's what they call my type of eyes...! I have Gold to Orange to Green

[mharbourgirl]

Someone else with an eye freckle!! My eyes are orangey-brown, so normal, but I got a random eye freckle once that appeared out of nowhere. Then I started having a strange white thing growing on it that looks like it's gonna try to start growing over my entire eye, so I need to get that checked out. Cos you know, blindness is kiiinda bad. Especially for an art student. :p

That sounds like a cataract. They can be removed, I believe, but it's better to get them caught sooner rather than later.


And hey, it's nice to know that I'm not a complete alien. :beam: I have a distinct yellow ring around my pupil, the rest of my iris is bright green, and there's a dark green ring around the outside. I have no idea where it comes from, because I'm the only instance of green eyes on either side of the family for at least 4 generations back.

The Hubster gets right up my nose sometimes because he finds my eyes fascinating and likes to study them at random moments. :rolleyes:

[teh_blumchenkinder]

The Hubster gets right up my nose sometimes because he finds my eyes fascinating and likes to study them at random moments. :rolleyes:

awwww! !que romantico! / :roll:

[mharbourgirl]

awwww! !que romantico! / :roll:

Ok, yes, it mostly is. :o But his timing could be better, like when I'm NOT handing him a plate of food, or telling him something important. :p

[Cia]

My husband has the centeral heterochromia the center of his eyes are brown and outsides are blue, our daughter's eyes are the same brown and blue. I just call them flowers. :)

[Food Lady]

Doesn't everyone have a background iris color and a "flower" of another color? Or do I just think that because A) I do and B) I'm not very observant. My background is dark teal blue and the ring around the pupil and the stuff that fans out (looks like a filigree overlay, I guess) is olive green. The ring around the iris is really just where the green ends. I also have a pumpkin-colored spot at the top edge of my right iris, but it doesn't go into the white. Is that an eye freckle?

[EricKei]

I have golden brown eyes with green mixed in to them.....so, hazel?Mine have always been listed on my license as hazel -- iirc, they tend to vary in color based on ambient light and the dominant colors around me...I tried to take a pic but my camera's battery just died. Will edit later ^_^