Question: This is just weird. I have a friend who says her eyes used to be blue when she was in high school (I've seen photos that seem to prove it), but now they're greenish-hazel. Can your eyes really change color over time?
Dr. Hibberd's answer:
Yes, your eye color can change over time, and more commonly can become lighter or darker with age. Eye color is determined by both the amount of pigment melanin in the iris (the colored aperture that controls the amount of light that enters the eye through the lens positioned behind the iris) and lighting conditions.
Blue, green and hazel eye colors are not structural colors found in our eyes, but result from light reflection within our eyes similar to the phenomenon of the blueness of the sky.
Your eye color is determined by genetics. It can also be altered by injury to the eye and, in rare cases, by ocular diseases such as pigmentary glaucoma.
Of course, contact lenses may also be tinted to your desired color. The color of your eyes does not necessarily remain constant throughout life, and your eyes can really change color over time.
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