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Why are purple eyes so rare?

Purple eyes are incredibly rare because the color is not a natural eye color. The only way to genuinely have purple eyes is to undergo a surgical procedure in which your eye color is permanently altered.

This procedure is called iris implantation. The artificial iris is inserted into the eye and replaces the original iris by blocking some of the eye’s pigment-producing cells from reaching the eye’s interior.

This creates a different color tone within the eye.

Having said that, what many people refer to as “purple eyes” are actually eyes with a very deep shade of blue where the blue iris looks almost black. So while this is technically a real eye color, it is very rare.

Even less often seen is the combination eye color known as “central heterochromia”, where two different colors – usually shades of blue and gold – appear in the same eye.

Purple eyes are so rare that some people consider them to be mythical; however, not much is actually known about them since they are less common than other eye colors. However, they certainly attract a lot of attention when noticed by others.

How rare are natural purple eyes?

Natural purple eyes are incredibly rare. According to researchers, less than 1 in every 100,000 people have naturally purple eyes. Even rarer is a second genetic condition known as “complete heterochromia” which leads to an individual having both eyes a different color, one being purple.

Even in the odd chance of meeting someone with naturally purple eyes, it is likely the individual acquired it after birth, due to surface level changes like eye injury, inflammation or pigmentation of the iris.

However, cosmetic contact lenses can be used to give anyone purple or other colored eyes.

Can someone have purple eyes naturally?

No, it is not possible for someone to have naturally purple eyes. Although purple is an increasingly popular eye color to wear as contact lenses, there are no known cases of someone having naturally purple eyes.

Eye colors range from a variety of blues, greens, and shades of brown, but purple is never seen naturally. In fact, most people with naturally a purple eye color would be diagnosed as having a rare disorder called albinism.

Albinism is usually a genetic disorder caused by a lack of melanin production which results in a person having abnormally light or pale eyes. These people often have to wear contact lenses or glasses to protect their eyes, as they are more sensitive to the sun’s UV rays.

Though it is impossible to have naturally purple eyes, they can be created if you wish to do so!.

What is the rarest eye color purple?

The rarest eye color is thought to be purple, which is sometimes described as “violet” or “amethyst”. Around 6% of the world’s population has either violet or purple colored eyes. This is quite rare as there are only a few known cases reported in the world.

It is believed that the eye color is caused by a single gene that has mutated, resulting in the rare color of the iris. Although some people have reported seeing people with purple eyes, some believe they are not truly purple, but rather a deep gray.

Others have speculated that the color purple may be created when a person with both amber and blue eyes look at the same light source. Whatever the reason, it is thought that the rarity of purple eyes makes them very intriguing and even beautiful.

Did Elizabeth Taylor have violet eyes?

Yes, Elizabeth Taylor was famously known for her violet eyes. She often credited her stunning eyes to a mutation in her DNA which gave her two different colored eyes – violet and blue. Several experts suggest that this mutation is a rare form of Heterochromia iridum, a condition in which the irises are different colors.

Her mesmerizing eyes and her beauty made Elizabeth Taylor a leading sex symbol of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In 2015, scientists even named a color after her – it was a bright shade of violet named “Violet Eyes.

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Is purple a possible eye color?

The short answer to the question is no, purple is not a possible eye color. This is because eye color is determined primarily by a combination of genetics and the amount of melanin (the pigment that controls skin and hair color) in the iris—the colored part of our eyes.

While people can have eyes that appear to have shades of purple in them due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, this is merely the way light is reflecting off the natural colors of the person’s eye, and is not caused by a certain eye color.

There are various hues of green, blue, brown and hazel eyes, but purple eyes are impossible.

Do violet eyes exist?

Yes, violet eyes do exist! While this is a rare eye color, there are people who have eyes that appear to be violet in color. People with violet eyes usually have a combination of light blue, purple and grey shades in their eyes.

In natural lighting, the purple tones will usually be more prominent, and when in artificial light the lighter blue tones become more visible. The color of a person’s eyes can change with lighting conditions, so what appears to be violet eyes when indoors and outside may look different.

The color of a person’s eyes is a result of the amount of pigment (melanin) in the iris of the eye. People with violet eyes typically have a much lower concentration of melanin than other eye colors; therefore they are more light sensitive and can sometimes have difficulty adjusting to bright lights.

What percent has purple eyes?

It is very rare for someone to have purple eyes – it is estimated that approximately one in every 2 million people have this rare eye color. In comparison, approximately 15-18 percent of the population has blue eyes, 55-79 percent have brown eyes, 6-8 percent have hazel eyes and 2-5 percent have green eyes.

While the exact percentage of people who have purple eyes is not known, it is likely much lower than any of the other common eye colors.

Are GREY eyes the rarest?

No, it is often thought that grey eyes are rare, however brown eyes are actually the most common eye color. According to World Atlas, 55% of the world’s population has brown eyes, about 8% has blue eyes, and about 5-10% have green eyes – with less than 2% having grey eyes.

That makes grey eyes the rarest eye color and one of the least common eye colors in the world. Despite the fact that grey eyes are uncommon, they are still a beautiful, unique eye color and deserve to be celebrated.

Can 2 blue eyed parents have a brown eyed child?

Yes, two blue-eyed parents can have a brown-eyed child. This is often attributed to the inheritance of two different genes, which cause the color of children’s eyes. When two blue-eyed parents procreate, they both pass on their dominant blue-eyed gene.

But, if one of the parents also has a recessive gene for brown eyes, there is a chance that the child will get two copies of the recessive gene, resulting in a brown-eyed baby. This is true for any eye color.

For example, two brown-eyed parents could also have a blue-eyed child if both of them have a recessive gene for blue eyes.

How do people get purple eyes?

People cannot naturally have purple eyes as abnormalities in the genetic code are required to produce purple eyes. Some people who appear to have purple eyes actually have a rare condition known as chronic uveitis which is the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

This is a condition found most often in people of African ancestry and can cause the whites of the eyes to take on a dark, purplish hue. Certain rare genetic conditions can also give a person bizarre hues of eyes, such as purples and blues.

For example, Waardenburg syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects pigmentation and sometimes causes a person’s eyes to appear violet or purple. Some people also manipulate their eyes with contacts to appear to have purple eyes, although the color is not permanent and tends to be worn away by tears and other body fluids.

What causes eyes to turn purple?

Purple eyes are a rare, but fascinating condition called, aptly, ‘purple eyes’. It is caused by a condition called, ocular albinism and is typically caused by a lack of pigmentation in the iris. This usually results in mild to severe eye problems, including vision loss.

The eye may also lack the pigment melanin, which gives the eye its normal brown or hazel color. Light is then able to pass through various layers of the eye, which gives the eye its purple color. People with purple eyes may also have other eye issues, such as nearsightedness and astigmatism, due to the lack of pigment.

While rare and most often inherited, there is also the possibility that purple eyes are caused by an injury, tumor, or other eye conditions, but this is generally not the case.

How can someone be born with purple eyes?

It is not possible for someone to be born with naturally purple eyes as this is not a color found in the natural human eye. Many people may mistake lighter shades of blue for purple, but dark violet or lavender eyes are not possible.

It is possible, however, for an individual to have their eyes permanently colored with a hue of purple. This is done with a process known as “iris implantation,” whereby the patient’s natural eye color is replaced by an artificial pigment injection.

This process requires specialized equipment to be handled by an experienced eye surgeon. It can take several hours and color shades can vary depending on the patient’s eyes. As it is an expensive process and may involve high risk, one should make an informed decision before undergoing any such procedure.

Resources

  1. Is It Possible to Have Purple Eyes? – Warby Parker
  2. Purple Eyes (Pictures, Genetics & Facts) – Vision Center
  3. 6 Rare and Unique Eye Colors | eyeXam Optometry
  4. The Truth About Why Some People Are Born With Purple Eyes
  5. Do Purple Eyes Exist? 6 Potential Causes – MedicineNet