Predicting eye color chart: Baby Eye Color Calculator | babyMed.com

Baby Eye Color Calculator | babyMed.com

What determines a baby’s eye color?

In general, children inherit their eye color from their parents, a combination of the eye colors of Mom and Dad. A baby’s eye color is determined by the parents’ eye color and whether the parents’ genes are dominant genes or recessive genes.

Blue-eyed vs. brown-eyed

While it’s unusual, it is possible for blue-eyed parents to have a brown-eyed child. Brown and maybe green are considered dominant, but even two browns can make a blue-eyed baby because there are no full 100 percent definite rules, so you can only go by a percent.

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If both of you have brown eyes, then there is generally a 25% chance that the baby will have blue eyes if both of you carry the recessive blue-eye gene. But if only one of you has a recessive blue-eye gene, and the other has two brown, dominant genes, then there is a less than 1% chance of the baby having blue eyes.

Each person carries two copies of every gene, one copy inherited from mom and one inherited from dad. Homozygous means that the two copies match (for example, maybe both copies are for brown eyes). If someone is heterozygous, it means that the two copies of the gene differ (for example, one for brown and one for non-brown). It’s usually impossible to determine by looking at a person’s eye color whether she is heterozygous or homozygous.  

How do the genes work together?

Keep in mind that inheritance of eye color isn’t exactly simple because it is polygenic, meaning that the trait is influenced not by one gene, but by multiple genes working together. Even if only the most obvious gene is considered — the one with the most control over brown vs. all other eye colors, there are still a few things to consider.

— the parents’ eye colors
— whether the parents are homozygous or heterozygous for that color
— if the eye colors of the parents are dominant or recessive

What is gene dominance?

A dominance of one copy of the gene over the other means that the dominant copy has an effect you can see, in this case, you can see that the person has brown eyes. Brown (and sometimes green) is considered dominant. So a brown-eyed person may carry both a brown version and a non-brown version of the gene, and either copy may be passed to his children. 

Two brown-eyed parents (if both are heterozygous) can have a blue-eyed baby. By these rules, it would seem that two blue-eyed parents cannot have a brown-eyed baby because blue-eyed people are homozygous. However, since eye color is polygenic, several other genes exert their effects as well. So yes, while it’s unusual, it is very possible for blue-eyed parents to have a brown-eyed child!

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What Color Eyes Will Your Baby Have?

Looking into your newborn’s eyes… Nothing compares to it, at least when they’re open!

However, if you have had the chance, you may have noticed a curious trait of newborn eyes: baby eye color can change – and it usually goes darker. So, when can you know a baby’s eye color if it’s always changing? And, for example, what hue will gray newborn eyes turn? Can a child born to two brown-eyed parents have blue eyes? We now have some answers.

Of course, no two babies are the same. That would be far too simple to predict! What applies to many babies may or may not apply to yours. So, let’s have a look.

However cute your baby’s eye color may be, that may not be their color for too long!

©CreativeAngela/Shutterstock.com

What Will the Color of My Baby’s Eyes Be?

When we speak of baby eye color, we are referring to the color of the iris.

Forget about the pupil; it will always be dark. Meanwhile, the whites of the eye will likely remain white. The iris, however, changes color from baby to baby and from human to human. This is the muscle around the pupil that regulates the amount of light that enters it. And the color of a baby’s eyes is determined by a substance known as melanin.

Melanin is a genetic trait. That implies infant eye color is as well. This means that your baby will most likely have dark brown eyes if your partner, or you, possess this common eye color.

This indicates that they have a lot of melanin. If both of you have blue eyes, your baby’s eyes are more likely to remain that hue when they grow up. (which means that there is a very small amount of melanin present). The greens and mild browns appear in the center.

But genes aren’t that straightforward. If you have any blue eyes in your family, for example, having a blue-eyed baby becomes considerably more likely. As a result, predicting your baby’s eye color is not always simple.

While your genes can provide a good idea, an accurate newborn eye color calculator is a bit much to ask. Perhaps one day it will be possible to do this!

When Do Baby’s Eyes Change Color?

The most noticeable changes in your infant’s eye color occur throughout the first 6-9 months. Their eyes may darken due to melanin synthesis. Typically, you will not notice it all at once, but rather gradually. A baby’s eyes frequently change color during the first year of life. Color changes are most noticeable between 3 and 6 months. At 12 months, many babies have their “final” eye color. 

However, the hue you see after a year could still be in the works. It can take up to three years for some babies to develop a permanent eye color. This is why your children may have blue eyes while you and your spouse have brown eyes. Two blue-eyed parents are more likely to have a child with blue eyes, just as two brown-eyed parents are more likely to have a child with brown eyes.

Babies have their final eye color at 12 months.

©Herlanzer/Shutterstock.com

Eye Color Prediction

Because so much remains unknown about the interaction of genes and their role in determining eye color, making predictions about what hue your baby’s eyes will be is difficult. However, there are some probabilities to consider:

• Parents with blue eyes: The baby will almost certainly have blue eyes, although this is not fully guaranteed.
• Parents with brown eyes: The baby’s eyes will most likely be brown, but if both or either parent have family relatives with blue or lighter-shade eyes, the infant may have an eye color different than brown.
• One parent with brown eyes and one with blue eyes: There is a 50/50 probability that the infant will be born with blue eyes.
• Hazel or green eyes in both or one of the parents: It is difficult to tell whether the baby will have green or hazel eyes.

Generally, eye color shifts from light to dark. If your infant has blue eyes at birth, they may eventually change to brown, hazel, or green. However, if your kid is born with brown eyes, it is unlikely that they will turn blue.

It is difficult to determine the color of a baby’s eyes simply by taking a quick look at the parents’ eyes. The procedure is far more complex than that.

What Factors Influence a Baby’s Eye Color?

Your eye color is primarily determined by your genetics. If everyone in the family has brown eyes, the new baby is almost certain to have them as well. However, depending on how the chromosomes come together when a newborn is born, some families have distinct eye colors. Many individuals have previously used eye color charts to determine what eye color a child would have depending on what the parents would prefer. Even though the use of these charts can be helpful in determining eye color, they are mostly inaccurate.

Generally, two parents with brown eyes are much more likely to have a child with blue eyes than two parents with blue eyes. This is because persons with brown eyes are more likely to pass on the less dominant blue-eyed feature several generations later, until the genes for the lighter eye color match.

Both the parent’s eye color and the frequency of the alleles influence the newborn’s eye color. In some cases, the child is born with two alleles that are dominant, one from each parent, or both. A baby eye color chart is provided below to help explain this likelihood:

Eye Color Prediction Chart

©vectorscore/Shutterstock.com

• If he gets a dominant blue gene passed down from one parent and an allele that’s dominant and brown in color from the second parent, he will have brown eyes.
• If both parents have the green gene, or if one parent has the green allele and the other has the blue allele, the child will have green eyes.
• A newborn infant will have blue eyes if both parents possess blue alleles. The newborn is likely to have blue eyes because blue is recessive rather than dominant.

It takes time for blue-eyed newborns to manufacture the pigment melanin. As a result, the baby’s eye color will not be determined until he or she is about 3 years old.

Eye Color Concerns

Children are sometimes born with irises that are not of the same color. This abnormality, called heterochromia, is usually present at birth. (where it is called congenital heterochromia). It normally has no significant side effects.

However, heterochromia can also be caused by trauma or a medical condition. Horner’s syndrome, for example, is a disturbance of the neural pathway from the brain to one side of the face and eye that can result in unexpected changes in eye color. The afflicted eye is frequently lighter in color than its counterpart.

Waardenburg syndrome is also a medical condition of this kind. It is a collection of hereditary diseases that can result in significant eye color alterations.

Children with this syndrome frequently have very light blue eyes, one blue and one brown eye, or one eye that is segmented into two different colors.

Contact your pediatrician if you notice any unexpected changes in your baby’s eye color. They may recommend that you see an ophthalmologist.

Protect Your Baby’s Eyes

Your baby’s delicate eyes require the best possible care.

©HTeam/Shutterstock.com

Because your baby’s eyes are so delicate, you’ll want to take extra precautions to keep them clean and safe. First, you may notice a small discharge from your baby’s eyes in the first few months following delivery. When bathing them, carefully clear away any discharge. You should avoid washing your baby’s eyes with a washcloth or wiping them with tissue all the time.

Second, watch what you give your little one to play with. Babies have relatively limited muscle control, thus they frequently poke themselves in the eye without meaning to. In fact, these kinds of accidental eye injuries are prevalent even in infancy and can result in irreversible loss of vision in some situations. Instead, give your baby age-appropriate, clean and safe toys to play with.

Finally, pay close attention to your baby’s eye alignment. While some misalignment or squinting is normal in the first few months, if it persists after 6 months or if their eyes appear unstable in any way, consult your baby’s pediatrician. They may recommend that you see an ophthalmologist.

Conclusion

During their first year of life, your baby will go through a lot of changes. Some of these changes you can control, while others are completely out of your hands.

There isn’t much you can do to change the color of your baby’s eyes other than contribute your genes.

So, while you may be hoping for “baby blues” or a “brown-eyed girl,” it’s advised not to get too connected to your child’s eye color until they are past the age of 1.

what kind of eyes will the child have?

Contents

• 1 Probability table and scientific theories: how to determine what kind of eyes your child will have
  • 1.1 What color of eyes your child will have: scientists’ thoughts
  • 1. 2 Probability table
  • 1.3 Risk calculation

  900 05 1.4 Patterns of inheritance

  • 1.5 Influence on eye color
    • 1.5.1 Genetics
    • 1.5.2 External factors
  • 1.6 Genes and genotype
  • 1.7 Multiplicity of genes
  • 1.8 X-linked inheritance
  • 1.9 Y-linked inheritance
  • 1.10 Gene mutations
  • 1.11 Environmental factors affecting the child’s genetics
    • 1.11.1 Maternal nutrition .
    • 1.11.2 Environmental pollution.
    • 1.11.3 Smoking.
    • 1.11.4 Radiation and electromagnetic waves.
  • 1.12 Genetic eye diseases
  • 1.13 Lifetime eye color changes
  • 1.14 Eye color prediction from photographs
    • 1.14.1 Introduction
    • 1.14.2 Factors affecting eye color
    • 1.14.3 Eye color prediction applications
    • 1.14.4 Conclusion
  • 15 Facts and myths about the inheritance of eye color
  • 1. 16 Interracial mixing and eye color of a child
    • 1.16.1 Eye color — heredity
    • 1.16.2 Genes and eye color
    • 1.16.3 Probability table
    • 1.16.4 The Importance of Scientific Assumptions
  • 1.17 Beyond Eye Color: Other Genetic Features
  • 1.18 Q&A:
    • • 1.18.0.1 Which genes determine eye color?
      • 1.18.0.2 Is it possible to determine exactly which eyes a baby will have at birth?
      • 1.18.0.3 What are the chances of a baby being born with blue eyes if both parents have brown eyes?
      • 1.18.0.4 Can a child have a different eye color than his parents?
      • 1.18.0.5 How often does a child’s eye color change after birth?
  • 1.19 Related videos:

Find out which eyes your child might have according to the probability table and scientific assumptions. Detailed information about the heredity of eye color and the factors that influence its formation.

Every parent wonders what physical characteristics their child will have even before he is born. One of the most interesting questions is what kind of eyes the child will have. There are many scientific and non-scientific facts and assumptions about this issue.

In this article we will try to figure out how the inheritance of eye color really occurs and what role genes and the probability table play in this. We will look at current scientific research that can explain what eye color an adult has, and what assumptions exist on this topic.

A study of probability tables and scientific facts can help many parents-to-be determine the likely eye color of their unborn baby. It is important to remember that all of the above facts are independently researched and are not an official source of information that can guarantee the color of your child’s eyes.

What color of the child’s eyes: the thoughts of scientists

One of the important questions that many parents are interested in is what kind of eyes the child will have. Thoughts of scientists on this matter differ, but there are some prerequisites that can be taken into account.

Genetic factors play a big role in determining the color of a child’s eyes. Different scenarios are possible depending on the parent’s eye color, genotype and phenotype. For example, if both parents have brown eyes, then their offspring will most likely also have dark eyes. However, there are exceptions when light eyes appear in children whose both parents have dark eyes.

There is also a hypothesis about the random choice of a gene, described by Mendel’s law. According to this theory, the color of the child’s eyes may be unexpected and different from the eyes of his parents. There are also observations of a child’s grandparents that can help suggest a genetic predisposition to eye color.

• So what kind of eyes will the baby have?
• Scientific assumptions say that eye color depends on genetics.
• However, chance can also play a role.
• Observations of parents and ancestors may provide additional information.

Probability table

In our probability table, you can see the probability of having a child with certain eyes from parents with a certain genotype.

Father/mother genotype AAAaaa

AA	100% Brown eyes	50% Brown eyes 90 146 50% Blue eyes	100% Blue eyes
Aa	50% Brown eyes 50% Blue eyes	25% Brown eyes 50% Blue eyes 25 % Green eyes	50% Blue eyes 50% Green eyes
aa	100% Blue eyes	90 140 50% Blue eyes 50% Green eyes	100% Green eyes

As can be seen from the table, the birth of a child with brown eyes is most likely if both parents have the AA genotype. If one of the parents has the aa genotype, then the probability of having a child with green eyes increases.

Risk calculation

Risk calculation is important in many areas, including medicine and genetics. It allows you to determine the likelihood of certain events occurring and make decisions based on this information.

Risk calculation in genetics uses probability tables to determine the likelihood of inheriting certain genetic characteristics from parents. One of these charts can help determine which eyes a child will have based on the parent’s eye data.

Risk calculation can also be used in medicine to determine how likely it is to develop a certain disease in the presence of certain risk factors. For example, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be determined based on age, sex, smoking, and diabetes.

However, when using risk calculation, there are many factors that can affect the final result. For example, a table of the probability of inheriting certain genetic characteristics does not take into account possible mutations or random changes in DNA.

The risk calculation must be based on reliable data and carried out by a qualified person. It can help you make an informed decision and avoid possible problems or illnesses in the future.

Patterns of inheritance

Heredity is the transmission from parents to offspring of certain traits. The patterns of inheritance were discovered by the following scientists: Mendel, Morgan, Muller and others. They studied the processes of inheritance of genetic traits and formed scientific assumptions on this topic.

The law of dominance states that in a pair of different alleles, one dominates the other. The law of segregation is the separation of a pair of genes during meiosis. The law of independent distribution of genes says that different pairs of genes are inherited independently of each other. These laws make it possible to determine the probability of the appearance of certain traits in offspring, depending on the genotype of the parents.

Also, scientists have established the inheritance of traits by sex. So, in men, sexual characteristics are inherited on the X chromosome, and in women — on a pair of XX. The distribution of genes responsible for sex occurs according to the law of random combination.

Knowledge of inheritance patterns not only helps to understand what traits a child will have, but also helps to prevent hereditary diseases, apply genetic selection when crossing animals and plants, and also helps in the development of treatments for genetic diseases.

Influence on eye color

Genetics

Eye color, like other phenotypic traits, depends on heredity. The child has the same eye color as his parents or one of the parents. The presence of genes that determine eye color can also be due to several factors.

1. Polygenetic — a genetic trait determined by a combination of hereditary characteristics.
2. Monogenetic — a genetic trait determined by one gene.

Therefore, if both parents have blue eyes, then the chances that the child will have the same eye color are maximum. If the parents have dark eyes, then the child’s meaning is more likely.

External factors

In addition to genetic factors, eye color can also be influenced by other external factors:

• Lighting — Eye color may vary depending on light levels.
• Reflection — Eye color can change depending on the color of clothes and other objects that are reflected in the eyes.
• Age — Eye color can be affected by a person’s age and by other conditions such as progressive eye disease.

However, not only these factors can affect the color of the eyes. Eye color depends on a number of other important factors, all of which are interesting topics for research.

Genes and genotype

Genes are the basic units of heredity. They contain information about how certain physical and psychological characteristics should develop in a person. Genes are passed from parents to a child and determine its genotype.

A genotype is a genetic set of information that every person has. The genes that determine eye color are also found in the genotype. Eye color genes can be dominant or recessive.

A dominant gene is a gene that will manifest itself in the phenotype — what we see externally. A recessive gene will not show up in the phenotype if a dominant gene is present. Thus, if the parents have one dominant and one recessive gene per eye color, the child can either have an eye color that matches the dominant gene, or a color that matches the recessive gene, which will be latent.

Our body’s genes and their combinations can influence our appearance and health. The study of genes and genotype allows not only to predict the probability of inheriting specific characteristics, but also to find out the probability of inheriting diseases.

Multiplicity of genes

Genes play an important role in determining the color of a child’s eyes. However, not all genes code for this trait. For example, genes for eye shape and eyelid position may affect general appearance but do not determine specific eye color.

There are many genes involved in the formation of a child’s eye color. It should be borne in mind that each gene can have several variants, which are called alleles. For example, one gene may have alleles that are responsible for light eye color, and others for dark.

An interesting fact: each person has two copies of each gene — one received from the mother and one from the father. Due to such a multiplicity of genes and their alleles, it can be difficult to determine the exact eye color of an unborn child. This task can be simplified by a probability table.

• The answer to the question “what kind of eyes will my child have” depends on many factors.
• A probability table can help determine the likelihood of a child having a particular eye color based on genetic factors.
• It is important to understand that the probability table gives only an estimated result, and the final version of the child’s eye color depends on the combination of the father’s and mother’s genes.

You can find out which genes code for eye color, as well as the factors that influence it, from geneticists and scientific specialists in this field.

X-chromosome inheritance

Genetic information is passed from parents to offspring. The sex chromosomes play a key role in this process. Genetic diseases and sex-related traits are passed from parents to offspring according to different laws of inheritance. X-linked inheritance (or sex-linked inheritance) is one such inheritance law that is associated with genes located on the X chromosome.

Women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome. If the gene associated with sex is on the X chromosome, then its inheritance will depend on what gender the child has. If a man inherits a mutation on the X chromosome from his mother, he will develop the corresponding genetic disease. However, if a woman inherits a mutation on the X chromosome from her mother, then she can either be a carrier or show the genetic disease, depending on how many normal copies of the gene are on her other X chromosome.

X-linked inheritance is essential for genetic counseling, especially when planning a pregnancy. The risk of passing on a genetic disease or a sex-related trait depends on whether the carrier of the gene is male or female.

The study of X-linked inheritance helps to conduct more accurate genetic counseling and assess the risk of transmission of genetic diseases and sex-related traits from parents to offspring.

Y chromosome inheritance

The Y chromosome is one of the two main sex chromosomes that determine the sex of a child. The birth of a child is influenced by genes from both parents, but the Y chromosome is inherited exclusively from the father.

Thus, a male child inherits the Y chromosome from his father, and a female child inherits from his mother. The Y chromosome contains genes that code for the expression of male traits such as voice, bone structure, and so on.

Y-chromosome inheritance occurs in a vertical line from father to son. That is, all male offspring from the same father will have the same Y chromosome.

However, this chromosome does not contain information about other traits such as eye and hair color. So two brothers with the same father can have different eyes and hair.

It is also interesting to note that in rare cases, a gene mutation on the Y chromosome can occur, resulting in a change in male characteristics and a deviation from the typical inheritance on the Y chromosome.

Gene mutations

Gene mutations are changes in the structure of DNA that can change the function of a gene. They occur both in nature and under the influence of external factors, for example, as a result of exposure to radiation or chemicals.

Gene mutations can have a serious impact on human development and health. They can cause genetic diseases, abnormal development of organs and tissues, an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer, and other diseases.

When genes are translated from parents to offspring, both normal and altered genes are inherited. This can lead to the appearance of hereditary diseases and changes in the phenotype. Mutations can also occur during a person’s life, as a result of which various changes in the body may appear — external signs, changes in the functioning of organs and tissues, behavioral deviations, etc.

Examples of gene mutations:

• Ultramarine-like eye color (eg brown hair) may be the result of a mutation in the OCA2 gene;
• Fear of heights (acrophobia) may be associated with a mutation in the RGS2 gene;
• Down syndrome is caused by an unusual position on chromosome 21, which in turn is a mutation.

Environmental factors affecting the genetics of the child

Maternal nutrition.

Maternal nutrition plays an important role in the health of the child and shapes its genetic characteristics. Lack of any vitamins and minerals can lead to impaired eye development and visual function. For example, vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness.

Environmental pollution.

Environmental pollution can adversely affect the health of the child, including its genetic characteristics. High levels of air pollution can affect eye and optic nerve development. In addition, water and soil pollution can also have a negative impact on a child’s health and genetics.

Smoking.

Smoking by the mother and other people can negatively affect the genetic makeup of the child. The toxins in tobacco smoke can damage a child’s DNA and lead to damage to the visual system and other body systems.

Radiation and electromagnetic waves.

Radiation to which the mother is exposed can have a negative effect on the genetics of the child. Electromagnetic waves from technology and other sources can affect the formation of a child’s eyes and visual system.

• Bottom line: The environment in which a child grows and develops can have a significant impact on their genetic characteristics, including their eyes and visual function.

Genetic eye diseases

Genetic eye diseases are hereditary pathologies that can manifest themselves at any stage of life. These diseases can affect both the structure of the eye and its function. In addition, they may be associated with reduced visual function and even blindness.

Some of the more well-known genetic eye diseases include corneal abnormalities, cataracts, glaucoma, keratoconus, and many others. There are also known hereditary diseases that affect the color properties of the eyes and can lead to a change in color from green to brown.

In genetic eye diseases, the likelihood of transmission of the disease from parents to children depends on many factors, including the type of disease, hereditary predisposition, and many other factors. According to scientific research, not all genetic diseases can be inherited, and some can be acquired throughout life.

Thus, the possibility of developing a genetic eye disease in a child can only be determined on the basis of an analysis of medical data and genetic analysis of the parents. Fortunately, modern methods of treatment and prevention can help to avoid many genetic eye diseases and maintain good vision for many years.

Changes in eye color throughout life

Eye color can change with age in many people. For example, in individuals with blue eyes, they may shift towards a green tint or become gray. This is due to a change in the amount of melanin in the eyeball.

Melanin is the pigment that gives the eyes color. It is produced by cells in the iris of the eye. Newborns usually have very little melanin, so their eyes often look gray or blue. During the first years of life, the amount of melanin increases, which can lead to changes in eye color.

Also, the amount of melanin can change under the influence of external factors such as ultraviolet rays. This may cause spots on the eyes or discoloration.

Although there are possible changes in eye color during life, it cannot be said that they will definitely occur. This is due to many factors, including heredity, habitat, etc.

Predicting eye color from a photo

Introduction

Predicting eye color from a photo can be an interesting but complicated process. Eye color is the result of many genetic factors that can vary from person to person. Also, the genes that determine eye color are inherited in several ways, which makes predicting eye color even more difficult.

Factors affecting eye color

Eye color is determined by the amount of melanin in the iris. The more melanin, the darker the eyes. This may be sufficient in some cases to predict eye color. However, there are many more factors that can influence eye color, such as genes inherited from ancestors and the environment.

Eye color prediction apps

There are apps and online services that use machine learning algorithms and specialized probability tables to predict eye color from a photo. However, the accuracy of such predictions may vary, depending on the factors described above.

Conclusion

Predicting eye color from a photograph can be fun, but the accuracy of such predictions depends on many factors. Apps and services that use machine learning algorithms and probability tables can help predict eye color, but it’s best to turn to genetic testing to get the most accurate results.

Facts and myths about the inheritance of eye color

Eye color is the result of heredity, but this is far from the only factor influencing its determination. Despite all the scientific research, some myths about the inheritance of eye color still remain in everyday life.

• Myth: Eye color is determined only by inheritance from parents.
• Fact: Several genes are responsible for eye color, so the influence of heredity can be complex. The environment can also affect eye color, as the light and colors around you can change your perception of eye color.
• Myth: If the parents have different eye colors, then the child will definitely have a mixed eye color.
• Fact: It doesn’t even always happen. If both parents have different eye colors, then the child can inherit either color. Sometimes the color of the eyes of a child can be completely different from the colors of the parents’ eyes.
• Myth: Blue eyes are a rare genetic trait.
• Fact: Blue eyes are indeed rare in the world, but it is not a rare genetic trait. Instead, eye color depends on the concentration of melanin in the anterior part of the iris. Light-eyed people have less melanin, while dark-eyed people have more melanin.

So, heredity is the main factor that determines the color of the eye, but that’s not all. This should be remembered if you find out what kind of eyes your unborn child will have.

Interracial mixing and eye color of a child

Eye color — heredity

Human eye color depends on hereditary factors. It is inherited from parents. However, in the case of an interracial marriage, the likelihood of a certain eye color in a child may change. What will be the eyes of a child depends not only on the genotype of the parents, but also on the degree of mixing of their genes.

Genes and eye color

There are several genes responsible for eye color. Of these, the best known is the OCA2 gene, which controls the amount of melanin in the iris. If parents have a different set of OCA2 genes, then the child may end up with a combination of their genes, which can lead to unexpected eye color.

Probability table

There is a probability table that shows what eye color a child can get depending on the color of the parents’ eyes. For example, if both parents have blue eyes, then the probability of having a child with that eye color is 99%. However, if one parent has blue eyes and the other has brown eyes, then the chance of a child with blue eyes drops to 50%.

The Importance of Scientific Assumptions

While a probability table can help predict what eye color a child might have, it is not a guarantee. Therefore, scientific assumptions about the color of a child’s eyes should be considered as the basis for further research and discussion.

More than just eye color: other features of appearance that depend on genetics

Genetics is the science that studies the transmission of genetic information from parents to offspring. It is important to remember that genes determine not only eye color, but also many other features of a person’s appearance.

Hair is one such feature. Genes determine the color, structure, density and shape of hair. It is common to see how some hair traits are inherited in a family — for example, many family members can have the same ear shape or «bangs».

The face of also depends on genetics — the shape, size and location of the eyes, lips, nose, cheeks. Facial features can be passed on from parents to children, and this can help determine which of our child’s relatives is most similar to him.

Height is another feature influenced by genes. While diet and lifestyle can also affect height, genes are critical. Height can be very different even within the same family due to differences in genetic information.

Figure — also formed under the influence of genes. Genes determine the location of body fat and the shape of the skeleton. Different types of figures — pear, apple, hourglass — are inherited from parents.

Thus, genes determine many features of a person’s appearance, in addition to eye color. I wonder what other features of appearance can be distinguished?

Q&A:

Which genes determine eye color?

Eye color depends on the presence of certain genes that code for proteins involved in iris pigmentation. The most important genes are HERC2, OCA2 and TYR.

Is it possible to determine exactly which eyes a baby will have at birth?

No, you can’t. The probability table only shows which genes a child may have depending on the genotypes of the parents, but it is impossible to accurately predict what combination of these genes will be and, therefore, what eye color will be.

What are the chances that a baby will be born with blue eyes if both parents have brown eyes?

According to the probability table, the chances are 1 to 4. That is, the probability that a child will be born with blue eyes, with this combination of genotypes of parents, is 25%.

Can a child have a different eye color than his parents?

Yes, maybe. Eye color depends on a combination of genes from both parents, so a child may end up with some other eye color that is not characteristic of his parents.

How often does a child’s eye color change after birth?

Eye color may change in the first years of life, but after three years it is permanently fixed. This is due to a change in the amount and type of pigment in the iris, as well as under the influence of light and other external factors.

Related videos:

How to determine what color the child’s eyes will be › Articles and news › DoctorPeter.ru

• Health

Many babies are born with blue eyes, but after a few months their color changes to gray or brown. Is it possible to find out what color his eyes will be even before the baby is born? And how accurate will these predictions be? Sergey Sedykh, Candidate of Biological Sciences, told Doctor Peter about this.

May 27, 2021

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Parents begin to guess how the future baby will look long before his birth: who he will look like, what height he will grow up, what color his eyes and hair will be. And some things are indeed predictable.

As you know, most children are born with light blue eyes, which later can change their color to brown, gray or even green. There are many schemes on the Internet that offer to “add” the color of the eyes of the father and mother and see how likely the child will have blue or green eyes. In fact, everything is not so simple here.

What eyes can be like

Eye color is determined by the pigmentation of our iris. It consists of an anterior (mesoderm) and a posterior (ectodermal) layer. In the anterior is the stroma (vascular fibrous tissue layer), in it are cells containing the pigment melanin. The color of the eyes will depend on the nature of the distribution of pigments in this layer. Interestingly, the back layer always has a dark color, the only exception here is albinos.

The logic is simple: the more melanin in the iris, the darker the eye color will be. The most common eye color in the world is brown. Following are people with blue, blue, black and gray eyes. It is quite rare to find amber, green, olive colors. The most uncommon shades are yellow and purple.

Eye color may change throughout life. So, in blue-eyed newborns, by 3-6 months they can darken. This is due to the accumulation of melanocytes in the iris. The result is a brown-eyed or gray-eyed baby in front of you. The final color of the eyes is established by 10-12 years.

In adulthood, a person’s eye color may change due to any disease. The iris darkens or brightens as a result of cancer or other rare diseases.

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What genes will tell you

A lot of things. For example, it is officially believed that the blue color is determined by a mutation of one gene, another is already responsible for brown, a third gene is responsible for a possible brown or blue color, and so on. Recent studies by scientists prove that there are regions in at least six genes that can predict eye color.

— The genetics of eye color is very complex, there are many genes (probably they are responsible not only for color), they are on different chromosomes, and so on. The general thesis that the darker the color of the eyes, the more dominant it is, is absolutely true, but in the case of light shades — green, gray, blue, such logic already works with difficulty, — explains Sergey Sedykh, candidate of biological sciences.

A carrier of the «black eyes» gene is more likely to have children with black or at least dark eyes. Parents with blue eyes will have babies with the same blue or light eyes. And in cases with “strange” colors, the probability strongly depends on how well this type of color is studied, the expert says.

— Is it possible to accurately calculate what color the baby’s eyes will be? There is no definite answer to this question. If we know what color the eyes of the parents of the wife and husband were at least two generations ago, then we can assume in what range the eye color in children can be. From the aspen, oranges will not be born, as they say. New variants of different forms of the same gene (alleles) do not arise by themselves. We are the result of the combination of our parents’ genes. And the predictive power of genetics is greater, the deeper we can look into the pedigree,” the biologist summed up.

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