The baby's eye color changes, apparently this is the reason

Did you know that baby's eye color can change? Yes, many babies, especially Caucasian babies, who are born with blue eyes actually experience a change in eye color as they get older. So, what is the cause? Find out the answer in this article.

What you should know about eye color

In eye anatomy, the part that determines the color of your eye is the iris. The iris is a ring-shaped membrane inside the eye that surrounds the pupil. The iris functions to regulate how much light enters the eye and adjusts the pupil opening.

When exposed to bright light, your iris closes (or narrows) and the pupil automatically opens smaller to limit the amount of light entering your eye.

The color of a person's iris will depend on how much melanin it contains, as well as the color of skin and hair. People who have dark eyes generally because their irises absorb more light. While bright eye colors occur because their irises reflect more light.

So, what causes the baby's eye color to change?

According to Dr. Aron Shafer of the Stanford Tech Tech Museum, actually, babies' eye color can change through playing with the concept of genes and pigment production as they get older. This generally occurs in 10-15 percent of Caucasians (people who usually have lighter eye color).

1. The gene factor

The genes that babies inherit from both parents play a role in determining the color of their newborn's eyes. In fact, experts say there are about 15 genes responsible for baby's eye color, but OCA2 and HERC2 are the two most dominant genes in this regard. Babies with the HERC2 gene have blue eyes which tend to stay blue, while babies with the OCA2 gene have green or brown eyes.

When a baby is born, the baby already has its own genes. Unfortunately, his body hasn't reacted to all the genes in his DNA. This allows the baby's eyes to change in the first few months of life.

2. Melanin factor

Another factor that determines the color of a baby's eyes is melanin. Melanin itself is a type of protein that functions to form color on the skin, eyes and hair. The more melanin in your body, the darker the color of your eyes, hair, or skin.

Melanin production begins when a baby's eyes see light for the first time after birth. The eye color varies from person to person depending on how much pigment there is behind the iris.

Typically, babies with brown eyes have highly pigmented irises, while babies with blue or green eyes have less pigmented irises. If your baby has brown eyes, these eye color will not turn lighter as they get older.

Meanwhile, if your baby has blue or light-colored eyes, which on the other hand have a small amount of pigment, it is possible for her eyes to change. The reason is, their eyes will continue to produce pigment so that their eyes may turn dark.

Your baby's eyes may turn darker during the first 3-6 months of their life. Sometimes this process can also take longer. In most cases, however, once your baby enters the first year of life, his eye color will likely remain the same for the rest of his life. Unless one day he develops certain medical conditions that make his eyes change color again.

Keep in mind that not all babies are born with blue eyes, for example Asian, African-American. Babies of that race will usually be born with dark eyes that will not change color as they get older.