Eye colors are something about humans that’s truly unique. Did you know that nobody else on earth has the exact eye coloring as yours? While artists and writers have channeled their creativity into paintings, photos, and poems centered on eye colors, research shows that your eye color can tell so much about you. If you have hazel eyes, here is what you should know.

What Determines Eye Color?

Perhaps you were taught in science class that children inherit eye color from their parents, and that blue eye color is recessive while brown is dominant. That would mean if both parents have blue eyes, they can’t have a kid with brown eyes because neither of the parents carries the dominant gene for brown eyes.

However, it turns out the story about eye color is more complicated than just inheriting it from parents. Research shows that there are up to 16 genes (not two) that influence eye color. This makes predicting eye color challenging. Because of the variations in the expression and interaction of multiple genes, it is hard to say that a child will inherit the parent’s eye color.

In addition, eye color may change dramatically in the first few years of your life. For instance, most white, non-Hispanic infants are born with blue eyes. However, they may develop green, brown, or hazel eyes in childhood.

What Causes Hazel Eyes?

Iris is the pigmented structure inside your eye that surrounds the pupil and gives your eyes their unique color. The specific pigment responsible for your eye color is known as melanin, which also determines your skin color.

The reason most white, non-Hispanic babies are born with blue eyes is that their irises don’t have a full amount of melanin at birth. However, more melanin may accumulate in the first few years of life, causing their eyes to turn brown, hazel, or green. Babies whose eyes change from blue to brown usually develop full melanin amounts. On the other hand, those who end up with green or hazel eyes often develop less melanin.

Infants of Hispanic, Asian, and African-American ethnicities are born with dark irises that stay brown throughout life. These babies have naturally enough melanin in the skin and eyes.

Change Eye Colors with Contacts

Suppose your eyes aren’t naturally hazel and you have always wanted them to be. In that case, you can use color contact lenses to achieve your wish. Note that the contact lenses won’t change your real eye color, just the appearance.

Some of the top celebrities with hazel eyes include Angelina Jolie, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Statham, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and others. Did having hazel eyes contribute to their success? We are not sure.