# How come my eyes keep changing colors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552 "2004-12-25T02:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/1 "2004-12-25T02:25:56Z")
Over this past year my eyes were slowly changing from a yellow brown to a green. Now recently however, they changed back to brown, then back to green again. Tonight I went into the bathroom. My eyes were brown. I went into the bathroom about a half hour later and my eyes were green again. Why do they keep on changing color? Am I just weird or something? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/2 "2004-12-25T02:49:22Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > Am I just weird or something? You know, tempting us with loaded questions in GQ isn’t very nice. 😃 As for the eyes…I haven’t got the slightest idea. Mine are always mahogany brown and have been since soon after I was born. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/3 "2004-12-25T02:56:38Z")
Whoa, I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before. Well, actually I lie a bit. When I cry, my eyes (which are your normal, boring dark brown) turn a greenish hazel color. A lot of melanin in the iris makes eyes brown (IIRC), but I doubt the concentration can suddenly and randomly change. _Shrugs_ ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/4 "2004-12-25T03:00:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > . Mine are always mahogany brown and have been since soon after I was born. Those sound really pretty. Mahogany is an awesome color. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/5 "2004-12-25T03:38:30Z")
Were you wearing the same clothes? Different coloured clothing can make your eyes look various colours. I’m not sure if it is because the clothing is reflecting in your eyes or if it is because having different colours adjacent to your eyes makes the various colours stand out more… Gah, too many “colours” in there. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/6 "2004-12-25T03:44:45Z")
Maybe you have chameleon genes ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/7 "2004-12-25T03:45:24Z")
When I was born I had blond hair and blue eyes. Throughout gradeschool I was generally called blond haired and blue eyed. Although after awhile I began to notice that very frequently my eyes woulnd’t be the crystalline blue that they were in my earliest memories, they have at any given time during the day, been a wide range of blues and greens. I can’t explain it either, once when I was younger I asked my parents why my eyes change color and my dad said it maybe had something to do with the clothes I was wearing. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/8 "2004-12-25T03:47:16Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > Were you wearing the same clothes? Different coloured clothing can make your eyes look various colours. I’m not sure if it is because the clothing is reflecting in your eyes or if it is because having different colours adjacent to your eyes makes the various colours stand out more… > > Gah, too many “colours” in there. I’ve been wearing the same clothes and the lighting is the same. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/9 "2004-12-25T03:57:51Z")
> [@detop](#): > > Maybe you have chameleon genes ? 😃 Or levis? ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/10 "2004-12-25T04:04:01Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > Over this past year my eyes were slowly changing from a yellow brown to a green. Now recently however, they changed back to brown, then back to green again. Tonight I went into the bathroom. My eyes were brown. I went into the bathroom about a half hour later and my eyes were green again. Why do they keep on changing color? Am I just weird or something? Ask a doctor. After losing some weight (I’m quite fat) a co-woker asked me if there was something wrong with me. I commented it was likely to me of late consuming a sensible diet. Why do you worry about eye color? ---
**Author:** ![Mirage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mirage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirage)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/11 "2004-12-25T04:14:56Z")
I would say that you have Hazel eyes, which are a mixture of brown and green. They have the slight brown pigment that gives the eyes a halfway point between blue and brown and the yellow fatty pigments that turn the blue green. I have the same eyes myself and have noticed them swapping between “green” and “brown” often (depending on lighting and clothing) and sometimes within the same evening. The trick is whether your environment/light highlights the blue or the brown. With the blue you will get an olive green and the brown will be, well, brown. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/12 "2004-12-25T04:41:59Z")
The master [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971205.html): > [@Cecil Adams](#): > > Some people’s eye color does change for no apparent reason. […] Researchers concluded that changes occur in 10 to 15 percent of Caucasian adults. I don’t see anything about eye color changing several times, though. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/13 "2004-12-25T05:15:42Z")
> [@Mirage](#): > > I would say that you have Hazel eyes, which are a mixture of brown and green. They have the slight brown pigment that gives the eyes a halfway point between blue and brown and the yellow fatty pigments that turn the blue green. I have the same eyes myself and have noticed them swapping between “green” and “brown” often (depending on lighting and clothing) and sometimes within the same evening. > > The trick is whether your environment/light highlights the blue or the brown. With the blue you will get an olive green and the brown will be, well, brown. I have hazel eyes like that. I always get compliments on my pretty “blue” eyes or pretty “green” eyes, depending on what I’m wearing, mood, weather, lighting etc. Nope! They’re hazel! Neither blue or green, but thanks for the compliment. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/14 "2004-12-25T05:25:39Z")
> [@Nightwatch Trailer](#): > > The master [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971205.html) The master didn’t mention [Wilson’s disease?](http://www.gastromd.com/education/wilsonsdisease.html) :eek: > [@](#): > > Deposition of copper in the eyes (cornea) leads to classic green brown ring noted around the cornea. This is called a Kayser-Fleischer ring. This finding on physical exam is diagnostic of Wilson’s disease. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/15 "2004-12-25T08:26:11Z")
I wouldn’t get worried about diseases. My eyes change colour too and I’m fine (so far). Perhaps it has something to do with the dilation of blood vessels in the eye? My eyes are kind of a greyish-green. Sometimes they are more grey, but in bright sunlight or after I’ve been crying they are a deep jade green. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/16 "2004-12-25T12:30:34Z")
**flamingbananas** , are you an adult or a teenager? I’ve known several people (and am one) whose eye colors change, and unlike common wisdom, it’s not based solely on eye makeup and what you wear - your emotional state, amount of sleep you got the night before, and wellness/illness all cause changes too. My eyes go from blue to gray to green and even blue-green, and I’ve noticed all these colors while wearing the same clothes on different days. I asked about age because although I don’t know about people with hazel eyes, every person I’ve known who has “usually blue” eyes didn’t become aware of the fact that their eye color isn’t static until they were in their early to mid teens. ---
**Author:** ![chestnutmare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@chestnutmare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chestnutmare)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/17 "2004-12-25T14:03:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’ve known several people (and am one) whose eye colors change, and unlike common wisdom, it’s not based solely on eye makeup and what you wear - your emotional state, amount of sleep you got the night before, and wellness/illness all cause changes too. My eyes go from blue to gray to green and even blue-green, and I’ve noticed all these colors while wearing the same clothes on different days. My eyes do this too. I consider myself to have grey eyes, unfortunately the DMV doesn’t provide me with that option, so I am officially blue eyed. God help you though if you find my eyes to be green. My eyes only turn really green when I am FURIOUS. :eek: The only time that my eyes are a bright enough blue that I get complimented on them is when I am well rested and in a fabulous mood; make-up ups the compliment factor too 😉 Under normal circumstances though my eyes are a bluish gray and nothing special ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/18 "2004-12-25T14:16:47Z")
My eyes have always done the same thing. As a child, I had blue eyes that would sometimes appear greenish, but as an adult I have green eyes that sometimes look sort-of blue. Until I was in my early twenties, they would change colour frequently, and sometimes it appeared to be mood-related. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/19 "2004-12-25T17:28:18Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > **flamingbananas** , are you an adult or a teenager? I’ve known several people (and am one) whose eye colors change, and unlike common wisdom, it’s not based solely on eye makeup and what you wear - your emotional state, amount of sleep you got the night before, and wellness/illness all cause changes too. My eyes go from blue to gray to green and even blue-green, and I’ve noticed all these colors while wearing the same clothes on different days. I asked about age because although I don’t know about people with hazel eyes, every person I’ve known who has “usually blue” eyes didn’t become aware of the fact that their eye color isn’t static until they were in their early to mid teens. I’m a teenager, and latley I’ve been sick and my allergies have gone haywire so my eyes have been really watery, so maybe that’s it. Still, I wish they would pick a color and stay with it. I’m getting sick of this changing thing. I sure hope it’s a disease though. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552/20 "2004-12-25T19:15:41Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > Over this past year my eyes were slowly changing from a yellow brown to a green. Now recently however, they changed back to brown, then back to green again. Tonight I went into the bathroom. My eyes were brown. I went into the bathroom about a half hour later and my eyes were green again. Why do they keep on changing color? Am I just weird or something? Aaaahhh…that means the Alien Chest-Burster is all grown up, & ready to meet the world. Smile! Say “CheeeeEEEEEEEEARRRGGGH!!” 😛😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-my-eyes-keep-changing-colors/281552.md?page=2)