Why do we have colored glasses?  

Well, at Marvel Optics, we know that every person has a unique taste and preference. We have a wide array of colorful prescription glasses online to cater all our customers. Not to mention, different colors of frame complement different complexion, hair color, and even eye color.

Why do we have colored eyes?

Now, that is a question that might require a more descriptive answer. Covering all things eyes, Marvel Optics experts are here to help you understand this mystery today.

The Two Layers

The best way to understand why eye colors are different is to start with the structure of the eye. Without going into anatomical details, let’s begin with two layers of cells in our iris. There is a front layer called stroma and a back layer called epithelium. Whole stroma is the layer that may have various levels of melanin i.e. pigment. In some cases, it has not pigment at all. Epithelium on the other hand has dark specks that actually create the texture we see in the iris.

So, it all boils down to how much melanin your stroma has. The concentration of melanin changes the amount of light absorbed and reflected by the eye. Now, if you know how light and color theory works, this ratio of absorbed and scattered light is what makes object appear in different colors. Dark objects colors absorb more light while lighter colors reflect more.

Keeping that in mind, let’s see how different eye colors work:

  • Brown Eyes — Brown eyes have more melanin, which absorbs more light. There are very few people who have such a high concentration of melanin that their eyes appear almost black. Slightly less melanin cause iris to appear hazel in color.

brown eyes

  • Green Eyes — Green eyes have low melanin and absolutely no collagen. Interestingly, when light is scattered, blue is the hue that turns out the strongest. This is precisely a colorless liquid tends to appear blue. It is called the Tyndall effect. So, the small amount of melanin turns that blue hue in to green.

green eyes

  • Blue Eyes — The same Tyndall effect works here as well. The difference is that there is absolutely no collagen or melanin in blue eyes and all the light is scattered back, but we see the blue as it is the strongest. It is also the reason blue eyes tend to appear a different shade of blue under various lights.

blue eyes

  • Grey Eyes — Grey eyes, on the other hand, have low melanin and more collagen. All the lights, except blue, are equally scattered and the resultant color appears grey.

grey eyes

Now that you know why different people have different colored eyes, shop with us to find a prescription frame that will complement your eye color.