Is my baby’s eye color changing?
Did you know that a baby’s eye color can change for up to ONE YEAR? You’ve probably heard it before:
“My mom said I was born with blue eyes and now they’re brown!”
That statement holds some truth to it. Let us explain.
So, what is eye color? Well, when you look at the eye, you’ll notice it has 3 main parts – the pupil (always black), the sclera (always white), and the iris. The iris is a muscle that forms a ring around the pupil and controls how much light to allow into the eye through the pupil so we can “see” the world. When we talk about eye color, we are talking about the color of the iris. Humans can have irises that range from light blue to dark brown in color. In the world, brown is the most common eye color, followed by blue, then hazel, amber, green, and grey.
Now you must be wondering what gives irises their color. Good question. The iris contains cells called melanocytes. These cells secrete a protein called melanin. The AMOUNT OF MELANIN is what gives the iris it’s color. These cells are also found in our skin, and thus melanin also give us our skin color! If these cells make a little melanin, your baby will have blue eyes. If they make some more, your baby will have green/hazel eyes. If they make a lot, your baby will end up with brown eyes. Melanocytes are cells that are stimulated to make melanin by light exposure. The lighter they are hit by, the more melanin the can produce theoretically. In the womb, your baby is not exposed to light, so at birth, the eyes can appear blue. As time goes on with light exposure, these cells will make melanin and accumulate it, causing the eyes to change color.
For the most part, this drastic change in eye color slows around 6 months, but can take a full year, sometimes longer, to settle. Eye color darkens as it matures, and does not general revert or go the opposite way, from brown to blue. So, enjoy your blue-eyed baby and take pictures, just in case they end up with a different eye color.
Eye color itself is influenced my multiple genes of our DNA and is very complex! One particular chunk of our DNA, called chromosome #15, has a major role in eye color by controlling the maturation of melanosomes, structures that store and produce melanin, and by turning a melanocyte’s production of melanin on and off! But, in a nutshell, if both parents have brown eyes, it is makes it more likely for the baby to also have brown eyes as eye color is inherited through our DNA.
With how diverse eye color can be in humans, what eye colors are NOT normal and should raise concern? If the sclera (the whites of the eye) turns yellow or pink, this should raise your parent antennae. Pink or yellow whites of the eyes could indicate infection, jaundice, or another medical condition and should prompt you to consult your pediatrician.
During your well child visits, we pediatricians will check eye development, so make sure to regularly meet with your pediatrician at your child reaches each specific age. At age 3-5, the AAP recommends to get your child’s first routine eye exam by an optometrist and your pediatrician can recommend where to go and what you can expect.
We get asked all the time in clinic by parents about what is the likely eye color of their child, why their child’s eye color is changing, and if their eyes are developing well. This short article hopefully explained the mystery of baby eye development a little bit for you!
As always, follow us @thepedipals, tune into our podcast, and let us know how we’re doing! Here’s to happy, healthy, and well-balanced children!
Your PediPals