Yes, it is possible to have gray hazel eyes. Hazel eyes are a unique eye color that appears to shift between shades of brown, green, and gray. The exact color can vary depending on lighting conditions. Gray hazel eyes specifically have a dominant grayish tone with flecks or rings of brown and green. This eye color is quite rare, which makes it stand out. The gray tint comes from a higher concentration of melanin in the iris. Melanin is the pigment that determines eye color. Keep reading to learn more about how gray hazel eyes develop and what causes the striking color combination.
What are hazel eyes?
Hazel eyes are characterized by an iris containing a mix of melanin pigments. The most common eye colors — brown, blue, and green — occur when the iris only contains high concentrations of one melanin pigment.
| Eye Color | Melanin Type |
|---|---|
| Brown | Eumelanin |
| Blue | Low melanin |
| Green | Low melanin + lipochrome (yellow pigment) |
Hazel eyes are unique because they contain a blend of eumelanin (brown) and low melanin (blue/green). The mixture of pigments causes the iris to appear multicolored. While hazel eyes appear to shift between shades, the ratio of melanin doesn’t actually change — it’s the variability in lighting conditions that alters the eye color.
What causes hazel eyes?
Hazel eyes depend on two key factors: genetics and melanin concentration.
Genetics: Hazel eyes are a genetic trait passed down through families. The OCA2 and HERC2 genes play a major role in eye color. Specific variations in these genes influence melanin production and lead to hazel eyes. However, genetics alone don’t determine eye appearance.
Melanin concentration: The amount and type of melanin present also affects hazel eyes. Having lower levels of eumelanin leads to a greener-blue shade instead of brown. Hazel eyes only appear with reduced eumelanin paired with genetics for melanin variation.
Additionally, the distribution of melanin within the iris can create different hazel patterns. The eye color may appear more brown/green/blue in certain lighting depending on where melanin is concentrated.
How do you get gray hazel eyes?
Gray hazel eyes form through the following pigment characteristics:
– Low to moderate eumelanin levels
– Partial lipochrome concentration
– High grayscale melanin levels
The lower brown melanin concentration makes room for more green and blue hues. But instead of a bright green or blue, gray hazel eyes have an overcast tone thanks to grayscale melanin.
Grayscale melanin is a unique type of melanin that produces gray, silver, and slate pigments. Higher levels of this melanin lead to a muted, darker grayish color. The grayscale melanin may be concentrated in patches or specks, creating a multi-tonal iris.
The combination of moderate eumelanin, lipochrome, and high grayscale melanin levels produces the recognizable gray hazel eye color. The pigments are blended together to make a slate-brown-green shade.
What’s the difference between gray and blue hazel eyes?
While gray and blue hazel eyes look similar, there are subtle differences:
| Gray Hazel | Blue Hazel |
|---|---|
| – Grayish tone | – Blue/green dominant |
| – More melanin overall | – Very little melanin |
| – Multicolored central heterochromia | – solid blue/green with brown around pupil |
As shown in the table, the main distinction comes down to melanin content. Gray hazel eyes have more melanin overall, including grayscale melanin. This makes the color more solid grayish instead of a bright blue-green. Meanwhile, blue hazel eyes have very low melanin levels which allow the blue hue to shine through.
The pattern or location of color also differs in gray versus blue hazel eyes. In gray hazel eyes, the colors are often mingled together in a multi-tonal pattern called central heterochromia. Blue hazel eyes tend to be a solid blue/green color with brown concentrated around the pupil.
Are gray hazel eyes rare?
Yes, gray hazel eyes are one of the rarest eye colors. Exact statistics are uncertain, but they’re estimated to occur in less than 1% of the population.
By comparison, the most common eye colors and estimated frequencies are:
| Eye Color | Global Frequency |
|---|---|
| Brown | 79% |
| Blue | 8-10% |
| Green | 2-3% |
| Hazel | 5% |
| Gray | <1% |
As a subset of hazel eyes, gray hazel eyes are even rarer than hazel eyes in general. The unusual coloration arises from a very specific combination of genetic and pigment factors. Not many people inherit genes for reduced melanin paired with high grayscale melanin. So if you have gray hazel eyes, you have an eye color shared by only a small fraction of the population!
Can your eye color change to gray hazel?
For most people, eye color remains the same throughout life after about 1 year of age. However, there are some scenarios where hazel or gray hazel eyes could develop later in life:
– Melanin concentration changes: Trauma, disease, or aging can sometimes alter melanin production in the iris. A reduction in brown melanin may unmask an underlying gray tone.
– Lighting conditions: The appearance of hazel/gray eyes can shift subtly depending on lighting. Some conditions make the gray tone more pronounced.
– Medications: Certain drugs like oral contraceptives, chloroquine, and epinephrine can lighten eye color by decreasing melanin. However, this is rare and usually temporary.
– Heterochromia: People with heterochromia have two different eye colors. Their eyes may turn partially gray hazel as melanin levels change over time.
In most cases though, eye color is set by the age of 1 and does not shift outside of occasional lighting variations. Significant changes later in life typically indicate an underlying eye condition.
Conclusion
Gray hazel eyes are an uncommon and stunning eye color produced by a unique combination of melanin pigments. While hazel eyes in general are fairly rare, the specific grayish hue occurs in less than 1% of people worldwide. This eye color results from genetics for low melanin paired with high concentrations of grayscale melanin. The unusual mixture of pigments creates a distinctive grayish brown-green-blue iris. So in summary, yes it is possible to have gray hazel eyes naturally, but it is considered very rare and special. Having this eye color means your genetics coded for an uncommon melanin profile that exhibits dazzling shifts between gray, brown, and green tones.
