Eye and Vision Care

Changing Colors

07/29/2004 01:47AM

Question:

I am 16 years old and a couple of days ago my family and I have noticed thet my eyes change to a dark green when they are regularly medium color brown. Why are they doing this?

Answer:

In some patients, their iris color changes depending upon environmental lighting conditions. Your eyes may be one color in bright sunlight, another in dim sunlight, and may even change under artificial lighting such as fluorescent or incandescent lights.

In addition, your pupil size changes depending upon the brightness of light, so more of your iris is seen in bright light and less in dim light (when your pupil dilates).

I don't think it is anything to worry about; some patients wear tinted contact lenses to change their eye color!

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Response by:

Robert D. Newcomb, OD, MPH, FAAO
Professor of Clinical Optometry
College of Optometry
The Ohio State University