Heterochromia. Eyes of different colors - a disease or a strange feature

The human eye has the shape of a ball, due to its slightly convex front. The eyeball is located inside, which is lined with a shock-absorbing fat layer. The eye anatomically consists of an internal nucleus pulposus surrounded by three membranes. Its outer shell is the most dense, the anterior transparent part is called the sclera. The middle (choroid) membrane includes the ciliary body itself and. The iris has the appearance of a flat ring and distinguishes the anterior and posterior. There is a hole in its center - . It is the iris that determines the color of a person's eyes. The inner shell of the eyeball is called the light- and color-perceiving elements.

What determines the color of a person's eyes?

The iris is a structure almost impenetrable to light. The content of melanin pigment in it, as well as its distribution, determines the color of a person’s eyes - it can be from light blue to dark brown and almost black. It is extremely rare in congenital pathology - albinism - that the iris does not have melanin, and due to the translucency of blood in its vessels, the eye may have a red color. Albinos suffer because the iris does not protect the eyes from excess light rays. People with blue eyes have little melanin in the iris, while people with dark eyes have a lot. Eye color is determined by heredity, and the overall pattern and shade are individual.

In newborn children, the eye color is in most cases light. The final color is formed during the first two years of life. Among the peoples of the northern regions, light eye color is more common; residents of the south more often have dark eyes; in the middle zone, light brown, gray-green color predominates. Such features allow a person to better adapt to life in conditions of bright light and a large number of rays reflected from the surface of snow and ice.

Eye color and its meaning

Despite many beliefs and legends regarding the characteristics of people with different eye colors, in practice such patterns are usually not confirmed. For example, neither intellectual ability nor visual acuity depend on eye color.

Aristotle believed that a person with dark green or brown eyes has a choleric temperament, those with blue eyes are phlegmatic, and those with dark gray eyes are melancholic. It is believed that people with dark eyes have strong immunity, are distinguished by endurance and perseverance, but can have an explosive temperament and be overly irritable. People with gray eyes have perseverance in achieving their goals, determination, with blue eyes they endure adversity more easily, brown-eyed people are reserved, and with green eyes they are distinguished by concentration, constancy, and determination.

A well-known historical fact is that blue eyes are a distinctive feature of the Aryans - representatives of a truly Nordic race. The German theorist G. Müller is the author of the famous expression: “A healthy German with brown eyes is unthinkable, but Germans with brown or black eyes are either hopelessly ill or not Germans at all.” In the east, it is believed that only light-eyed people can “jinx” them, while in the middle zone this is said about dark brown and black eyes.

Eyes of different colors

Rarely can one person have different eye color. This is called heterochromia. The left and right eyes may have completely different colors (complete heterochromia), or the color of only part of the iris may differ (sector heterochromia). This condition can be acquired or congenital. This phenomenon has many literary references, and perhaps the most famous character with different eye colors is Bulgakov’s Woland.

Eyes are the mirror of the soul. This is what the famous folk proverb says. It is enough to look into a person’s eyes to guess what he is currently thinking about, what he is interested in, and what mood he is in. That is why the eyes are given the most attention when meeting people. And sometimes completely unexpected things open up. For example, heterochromia of the eyes can be considered a very remarkable and interesting fact.

A little bit of history

People can still periodically hear the opinion that heterochromia of the eyes in people is a sign of something bad and dark. What can we say about the Middle Ages, when even hair color could indicate involvement in witchcraft? People with different eyes at that harsh time were considered real messengers of the devil.

Later, the opinion emerged that people who have different irises also have two souls. Sometimes there are even more shocking assumptions about unborn twins.

In short, heterochromia of the eyes is still shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, the name of this phenomenon originates in Greek and is literally translated as “another color.”

What is heterochromia

In fact, this is a disease, but one should not sound the alarm and convene symposia to solve this problem. Most often, different eye colors appear from birth. It does not pose any danger to the body. The color of the cornea is formed due to the pigment melanin, an excess or deficiency of which leads to a change in the color of the organs of vision.

However, there is also acquired heterochromia of the eyes, the causes of which can be very different: from injury to hormonal imbalances. This type of disease can cause blurred vision, clouding of the vitreous, and even the development of cataracts.

In total, there are 4 types of disease:

1. Simple heterochromia (most common).

2. Discoloration caused by chalcosis or siderosis.

3. Heterochromia resulting from paresis of the sympathetic cervical nerve. With this type of disease, there is also a noticeable narrowing of the pupil and drooping of the eyelid.

4. Change in the color of the iris according to the Fuchs type.

What to do if there is a problem?

Of course, with any form of heterochromia of the eye, it requires particularly careful observation by an ophthalmologist. In most cases, congenital heterochromia does not cause any harm to the owner, but there are exceptions.

In the case of an acquired type of disease, a visit to the ophthalmology office is simply necessary. The disorders that caused this symptom should be diagnosed at an early stage to prevent further complications such as decreased vision or changes in the structure of the eyeball.

Thus, medical supervision will not hurt in any form of the disease, but the appearance of the problem described above is not yet a reason to panic.

Kinds

Most often, heterochromia refers to eyes of different colors. One may be brown, and the second, for example, blue. However, this is far from the only manifestation of the disease. Heterochromia also includes double colors of the cornea. As a rule, the color is lighter around the pupil and darker towards the edge of the cornea.

There are 3 types of the phenomenon:

1. Complete heterochromia: eye color varies dramatically among people. One pupil may be blue and the other green. Other shade combinations are possible.

2. Central - one color is dominant, and another (or several) frames the pupil. As a rule, the central shade is much lighter than the outer one.

3. Sectoral type of heterochromia: the iris combines two different colors, with one of them being dominant.

Is it worth treating?

As mentioned earlier, before fixing the problem, you should consult your doctor about the need for these actions. The etiology of the disease must be established as accurately as possible.

Even if the different colors of your irises do not bother you at all, it is necessary to undergo an examination. Especially in the case of acquired heterochromia, since the disease can be caused by an inflammatory process, a foreign body entering the eyeball, complications of tuberculosis, rheumatism or influenza.

Central type

We can say with confidence that this is the most common type of this disease. Most often, such people not only do not suspect that they have this disease, but are also proud of the unusual color of their vision organs.

Needless to say, central heterochromia of the eyes looks quite elegant. And if we say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, in the owners of this variety they speak volumes.

This type of heterochromia, as a rule, does not cause any discomfort, but it is still worth visiting an ophthalmologist to rule out possible consequences.

Sectoral type

Sectoral, or partial heterochromia of the eyes is less common, but it is more noticeable. Most often, this type of disease develops as a result of injuries to the iris.

Damage leads to a redistribution of melanin, and certain areas may acquire a different color as a result of a lack or excess of this pigment. In this case, diagnosis is especially necessary, since the possibility of a foreign body remaining in the eyeball must be excluded.

Complete heterochromia

This variety is considered the least common. Only eleven per 1000 people suffer from this disease. It is complete heterochromia of the eyes that is most often congenital. And, as a rule, it is not dangerous.

Attitude to heterochromia

This feature should be approached philosophically. Of course, people notice different eye colors almost immediately, but one should not perceive this as a disadvantage and develop complexes.

This, so to speak, illness did not become an obstacle to Mila Kunis’s path to conquering Hollywood. This did not stop David Bowie from gaining worldwide fame and earning the status of an art-rock idol, and Henry Cavill from playing the role of Superman in Zack Snyder’s film. A huge percentage of people consider this phenomenon not only unique, but also attractive.

If you are still confused by heterochromia of the eyes, how can you make your eyes the same color? Firstly, some forms of the disease considered are treatable, and the color of the iris is restored over time. However, this is a rather long and labor-intensive process. The simplest solution to the problem is colored contact lenses. A good ophthalmologist will easily be able to choose the right tone, diameter and level of curvature specifically for you.

As for those who like heterochromia eyes, how can you make your eyes look different? This question is much more complex. By the way, specialists from the USA have developed a special procedure that allows you to change the color of the iris to blue. These are, of course, extreme measures. More often, in pursuit of uniqueness, people still resort to wearing contact lenses.

In general, heterochromia is far from a reason for embarrassment and complexes. On the contrary, it is a one hundred percent guarantee of your uniqueness and beauty. Be amazing, be beautiful and love your eyes!

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It’s an amazing phenomenon when, walking down the street, you notice people with different eye colors. Many people are embarrassed by this feature, hide their unusual eyes under dark glasses or try not to meet your gaze. Let's take a closer look at our article about what the disease is called when the eyes are different colors.

Description of the disease with different eye colors

The unequal color of the irises of the right and left eyes is called heterochromia. With this anomaly, changes in the color of the skin and hair are also observed. Discoloration occurs due to insufficient or excess melanin (the coloring agent) in the body. Melanin determines the color of the skin, hair and iris of the visual organ.

Statistics have shown that out of a thousand, ten are identified with different eye shades. This phenomenon occurs more often in females than in males. Doctors and specialists still cannot explain the reasons for this manifestation. Heterochromia is not a pathological disease, but only a possible warning about the occurrence of some concomitant eye diseases.

Among the reasons for the presence of different irises in people are:

• Hereditary predisposition.
• The presence of inflammatory processes or tumor formations of the iris, iridocyclitis, various injuries.
• Frequent stress, hormonal imbalances.
• Use of certain medications.

Sometimes, if people have heterochromia at the genetic level, their quality of vision is not affected. That is, this means that, like a healthy ordinary person, he sees all forms of objects in the right color. And in some cases it leads to serious complications such as cataracts and glaucoma. With glaucoma, as a result of taking medications to reduce intraocular pressure, the iris darkens, thereby changing its shade. This applies specifically to the change in color of both eyes. For example, blue eyes turned gray due to clouding of the iris. Heterochromia does not threaten or harm eye health.

Types of heterochromia and treatment

With heterochromia, patients should be constantly monitored by ophthalmologists to identify initial changes in the ocular membrane.

Heterochromia is of the following types:

• central - there are several shades on one eye (the main color stands out against the background of others, forming circles near the pupil);
• partial (sector) - two colors are distinguished on one iris of the eye;
• complete - the most common among other types of heterochromia (a person has completely different colored eyes);
• simple (congenital) - appears from the moment of birth and throughout life a person has two different eyes with a darkened or lightened iris;
• acquired - appears as a result of foreign bodies entering the organ of vision, coloring the iris in the corresponding shade (if iron dust gets into it, it changes to a rusty-brown color, copper salts - green-blue), as well as with injuries, improper use of medications, inflammatory processes etc.;
• complicated - means difficult to detect heterochromia, which appears when individuals have Fuchs syndrome, manifested by disruption of the iris, clouding of the lens, and a decrease in visual acuity.

Simple heterochromia cannot be treated. And if this anomaly appears as a result of clouding of the lens, trauma or other eye diseases, then after a full examination by an ophthalmologist and confirmation of the diagnosis, he prescribes the appropriate treatment method in the form of laser surgery, vitrectomy, and the use of steroids.

If a certain area on one iris suddenly turns a different color, you should immediately consult a doctor to quickly identify the cause of this phenomenon. This process is sometimes confused with the natural aging of the body, since with age it is common for the iris to become cloudy or pale, that is, to change its color.

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The different colors of the iris of the eyes are called heterochromia .

This is a very rare occurrence. Statistics show that only 1% of the population of our planet experiences this phenomenon.

The depth of melanin is responsible for color. At birth, its content in the membrane is minimal, and therefore all babies have light eyes. Heterochromia is a rare case in which one of the eyes contains more of a given pigment than the other.

Heterochromia: photo

In animals this feature is much more common. It is quite common in white cats and Siberian Husky dogs.

In today's society, the phenomenon of heterochromia is treated as a “gift of God.” This phenomenon is especially popular among fashion models.

Model Sarah McDaniel

Girls, and sometimes boys, often try to change the color of one of their eyes using different methods. For example:

1. (subject to following the instructions for their use, this is the best option).
2. . Changes occur after a couple of months, the color becomes dark. However, the drug is intended exclusively for medical use, and long-term use disrupts the nutrition of the eyeball.
3. Laser correction (the change occurs only from the brown color of the iris to blue). It is worth noting that the operation is expensive, and it will be impossible to return your natural shade. In addition, intervention of this kind can lead to double vision and photophobia.
4. Implantation. This method causes enormous damage to health, and is irreversible. Possible glaucoma, blindness, inflammation, cataracts and detachment. On top of that, the implant will cost around 8,000 USD.

ICD-10 code

What is ICD-10? This is the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

Heterochromia is classified here as “VII. H57.0. Anomalies of pupillary function", or " Q13.2. Congenital anomalies of the anterior segment of the eyes,” and is considered a pathology. Of course, the phenomenon is unusual, but this does not always mean that there are some deviations.

That is, the ICD does not specifically say that heterochromia is necessarily a condition of diseased eyes, however, it is still worth discussing this with a doctor in order to be completely sure that they are healthy.

Kinds

• complete (if you look at it in general - irises of different colors, however, if you look at them individually, they are correct, without aberrations);
• partial or sectoral (the iris of one eye is painted in several colors);
• central (the shade around the pupil diverges into rings).

Complete heterochromia is more common than partial.

If it occurs as a result of damage to the eyeball, there are such forms as:

• simple;
• complicated;
• metallic (the shell changes in patches, most often of a light green or rusty-green hue).

Causes

Why do people have different eyes? Central ocular heterochromia can be either an unusual feature or a serious problem.

Causes of heterochromia:

1. Heredity. This is perhaps the most harmless cause of pathology. If at least one of the parents has this feature, there is a 50% chance that it will be passed on to the child.
2. Weak cervical sympathetic nerve from birth (simple form). Most often accompanied by oculosympathetic Bernard-Horner syndrome. It is also characterized by:

• skin of different shades;
• the eye slit and/or pupil are narrowed;
• the eyeball in the orbit is slightly displaced;
• there is no sweating on the affected side.

1. Fuchs syndrome (complicated form). Namely, inflammation of blood vessels. It is accompanied by blurred vision, degenerative atrophy of the iris, cortical cataracts (the cortex of the lens becomes cloudy), after which vision worsens and eventually disappears completely.
2. Neurofibromatosis. A disease with characteristic changes that is inherited.
3. (metallous heterochromia). Foreign objects such as graphite or metal shavings getting into the eye. They penetrate the upper layer of the iris, after which oxidation of the pigment occurs inside it.
4. Effects of medications that contain the hormone prostaglandin F2a or its analogues.
5. Various neoplasms, such as:

• (a type of skin cancer that very rarely can be localized to the eyes);
• hemosiderosis (decomposition of red blood cells, impaired metabolism of iron-containing pigments);
• Duane syndrome (type);
• juvenile xanthogranuloma (formation of self-resolving histiocytic tumors).

Treatment

1. If the cause is Fuchs syndrome, a vitrectomy is performed - removing scars, blood or pathologically changed tissue from the vitreous humor of the eye, which is replaced with a balanced salt solution and silicone oil/gases.
2. If there is metallosis, the foreign body is removed. For inflammation, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs are indicated. It should be noted that even if the irritants are eliminated, the color of the iris may not be restored.
3. In people with congenital heterochromia, this anomaly will remain in any case. Only medical intervention will help, namely laser correction or implantation. If this is an acquired phenomenon, you can get rid of it over time, however, not in all situations.
4. If heterochromia began to appear as a result of using drugs with the hormone prostaglandin, the solution to the problem is simple and logical - consult a doctor so that he can help you choose other medications for the eyes.

Video:

Sometimes you meet interesting people who have eyes of different colors. Usually they have one eye lighter than the other. This interesting phenomenon is called heterochromia.

This disease is rare, but it does occur. In such cases, part of the iris of the eye takes on a different color. This kind of individuality doesn't come along very often. Therefore, a person with eyes of different colors stands out from the crowd of people. This is a rather unusual phenomenon.

In ancient times, differences in the color of a person's eyes aroused genuine interest among others. They were considered sorcerers and witches. It is known that according to legend, the devil had different eyes - one blue and the other black. In this regard, people who believed in superstitions were afraid of people with different-colored eyes. In the modern world, there is still an opinion that a person with heterochromia has an evil eye. But no matter how others treat people with different-colored eyes, such people are original and have a non-standard appearance.

Eye color can change due to various factors. Iritis, inflammation of the iris, iridocyclide, glaucoma and trauma, tumors, as well as other disorders, contribute to a change in the color of the iris. Sometimes the lining of the eye can change color due to stress or hormonal disorders. Also, due to taking a number of medications, changes in the color of the iris are possible.

Thus, in the treatment of glaucoma, medications that lower intraocular pressure are used. These medications cause the lining of the iris to darken. Often two eyes darken at once. For example, blue eye color becomes gray. In this case, heterochromia leads to a radical change in the color of the iris. This disease can be hereditary. However, such changes in the color of the iris do not affect visual acuity. The disease heterochromia has only external manifestations. No other symptoms were identified. But sometimes complications are possible - cataracts.

There are such forms of cataracts with:

• pathological congenital heterochromia - paresis of the cervical sympathetic nerve;
• simple form;
• Fuchs disease;
• complications caused by chalcosis or siderosis.

The degree of threat of heterochromia

Doctors came to the conclusion that a decrease or increase in melanin levels changes eye color.

• With a trophic congenital disorder, the pigment is produced in the wrong amount, and if the body has organic or physical changes in the nervous system, then this disease is activated.
• As a result of uveitis, color may also change.
• With a simple form of heterochromia, changes may not be noticed.
• Horner's syndrome occurs due to paresis of the cervical nerve. In this case, significant deviations arise. Fuchs disease causes clouding of the vitreous humor and destruction of the iris of the eye.
• Heterochromia with sederosis (caused by iron dust) or chalcosis (when copper salt gets into the eyes) is expressed by the presence of bright pigmentation. After removing the foreign particle from the eye, the color of the iris returns to its original color.
• If heterochromia is caused by congenital pathologies, the eyes remain multi-colored for life.

What should be the normal eye color?

The pattern and color of the iris is an individual characteristic. By such individualities it is easy to recognize a specific person, for example, by fingerprints. The norm is the same eye color. With age, the iris of the eyes becomes dull and loses its shine. The color of the iris can also change with age. These changes occur with both eyes at the same time. This is how the natural aging process of the body proceeds. But when color changes are noticeable in the area of ​​the eye, this indicates the presence of a disease. If the color of the iris changes, you should immediately visit a doctor.