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Not too long ago, I renewed my I.D. They asked what eye color I had, but the options only listed blue, green, brown, red, violet, hazel, & black. Why do they always exclude Amber Eyes? Maybe they think that it's just another shade of hazel. Or perhaps they are unaware that Amber eyes exist because they are extremely rare. And when I say rare, I mean something that is 2% of the global population (such as red hair and green eyes) or less. Amber eyes are estimated to be approximately less than 1% of all people on earth.
So, it's no wonder that they are so underrepresented, right? When you look up eye color percentage charts online, many of these sites will tell you that Amber eyes are more likely found in countries such as Asia and South America. That seems to be a misnomer to me because you would think that an eye color such as Amber would be more likely to be found in countries where other light eye colors are most likely to occur (Europe & North America are the prime examples). But I digress.
So how can you tell if one has Amber Eyes or Hazel Eyes? I often asked myself this question.
Many a time, amber eyes can be mistaken for hazel, especially under poor lighting. But under proper lighting, you will see that my eyes have a yellow russet tint to them that is distinguished from hazel (which hazel contains hints of green and brown). That's why I would venture to say that I have Amber Eyes, not Hazel Eyes.
Genetic research says that eye color is largely determined by as many as 16 genes passed to the individual because of a dominant gene. The pigmentation of the iris and the dispersion of light around the iris are other factors that influence eye color.
There also exists a substance that affects eye color, which is called melanin, a complex polymer made from an amino acid called tyrosine. Eye color is the resulting effect when light breaks up across the melanin’s base.
Hazel Eyes
They are defined as an eye color in which the shade is similar to the color of the hazelnut shell, which appears light brown or golden brown, sometimes gold. The pupil is also surrounded with tinges of blue, green and yellow which may look light or dark. The pupil’s ring are usually green or brown in colour. Hazel is actually not a true color in itself, but rather a blend of various colors. However, it is considered as an eye color which displays a combination of greens, browns, and blues.
One pair of hazel eyes is never identical to another person’s pair of hazel eyes. Some people possess lighter features of green while others have darker features of brown. The color of the tinges as well as the ring around the pupil may also vary.
Sunlight, different lighting, and the color of clothing can also affect the color intensity of hazel-eyed people. Their eyes sometimes look greener or more brown when reflecting the colors of the environment like the sky or greenery.
This is because hazel eye color is more reflective than normal eye colors. Hazel eyes may also look either bright green, seaweed amber, dazzling emerald, or even gray in color. Individuals who stare at people with hazel eyes may immediately experience or observe how their eye color changes.
In poor lighting, it's easy to mistake someone with amber eyes for someone with hazel eyes. In natural lighting, however, you’ll see that hazel eyes tend to have two very distinct colors within the iris. They are often brown and green and contain speckles and mixed hues.
Hazel-eyed people are common in natives mainly from South and East European places as well as people from Britain. There is also a high possibility for a person to have hazel eyes running in their family if came from Spanish, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, or North African decent. However, this is not exclusivity as any race can have hazel eyes or Amber eyes.
If you have hazel eyes and have one of these beautiful eyeshades, be proud of them!
Amber Eyes
They are extremely rare—they are at least as rare as green eyes or perhaps even rarer. Most people have only seen a couple of amber-eyed people in their entire life.
Amber eyes are completely solid and have a strong yellowish, golden, or russet and coppery tint. They can also contain a small amount of gold-ish gray. Some sources say that this could be due to the increased presence of a pigment called lipochrome (also known as pheomelanin).
Amber eyes are often referred to as wolf eyes because of the strong golden and yellowish color with a copper tint similar to that seen in the eyes of wolves. Besides wolves, amber eye color can also be found in other animals, like dogs, domestic cats, owls, eagles, pigeons and fish.
Amber eyes are different from hazel eyes because they do not contain hints of brown or green. While hazel eyes might change color or contain flecks of red or gold, amber eyes are always a solid gold or copper hue.
I used to wish I had blue eyes. That was before I discovered how unique my eye color really was. Check out the chart below.
There are also different shades of #AmberEyes as well as any other eye color scheme. Amber varies from light yellow to copper orange. For those who were blessed with this eye color scheme, which Amber eye color are you? Tell us in the comments! Mine is V429.
For more about Amber eyes, also read AMBER EYES the most underrepresented eye color.
And also read: My Amber eyes - Are They Real or are they fake?