Are everyone else's eyes the same?
October 3, 2010 12:41 AM Subscribe
My eyes are really dark brown. I was looking at a mirror and BAM my eyes turned a silvery gray!
It creeped me out for a second, but then I looked behind me and the door for the stall is silver.
People have (recently) commented if I'm wearing blue eye contacts (I think I was looking at something blue on my phone. Probably metafilter). Or how my eyes are lighter. Or if they're gray. I have never actually seen it myself until this morning. I've always thought that lighter eye colors do this, but never for a brown eyed girl like me.
Most of the time, people can't even see my pupils unless a direct light is in front of me, then it turns light brown. I know you can see your reflection in someone's eyes (literally, not some cheesy lyric). Are everyone else's eyes like this? What causes it? Can I change my eye color by always putting something blue in front me?!
It creeped me out for a second, but then I looked behind me and the door for the stall is silver.
People have (recently) commented if I'm wearing blue eye contacts (I think I was looking at something blue on my phone. Probably metafilter). Or how my eyes are lighter. Or if they're gray. I have never actually seen it myself until this morning. I've always thought that lighter eye colors do this, but never for a brown eyed girl like me.
Most of the time, people can't even see my pupils unless a direct light is in front of me, then it turns light brown. I know you can see your reflection in someone's eyes (literally, not some cheesy lyric). Are everyone else's eyes like this? What causes it? Can I change my eye color by always putting something blue in front me?!
I'm pretty sure the color itself isn't changing, just the lighting. If you stare at something for a long time the image can 'burn in' (temporarily) and the colors might seem to change.
posted by delmoi at 12:54 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 12:54 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have hazel eyes-- green/brown-- and they go very green when there is more green or blue around and very brown when I'm in brown places. The explanation that I've heard is that they're reflecting the colors around them, but I'm not sure if that's true.
What I have figured out, though, is that my eyes seem much greener when I wear blue eyeliner, so you might want to see if that changes it (or seems to change it).
posted by NoraReed at 1:00 AM on October 3, 2010
What I have figured out, though, is that my eyes seem much greener when I wear blue eyeliner, so you might want to see if that changes it (or seems to change it).
posted by NoraReed at 1:00 AM on October 3, 2010
My eyes are very pale green-grey-blue and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what colour they really are (or if that is even a sensible question to ask) as they change so much. I don't see why this shouldn't happen to a brown-eyed person too!
posted by handee at 4:07 AM on October 3, 2010
posted by handee at 4:07 AM on October 3, 2010
I have heard that people under an altered state of mind can change their eye color among other things (i.e. personality, facial appearance).
posted by gttommy at 5:00 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by gttommy at 5:00 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
I don't think it has to be reflection, but perhaps just a perceptual effect of noticing color similarities or something. Like Handee, I have green-grey-blue eyes and when I wear certain shades of blue or green I get comments sometimes like "WOW your eyes look blue today!" My shirt isn't reflecting in my eyes at that point, so it must be something else about seeing the color in close proximity to my eyes.
So, play around with colors NEAR your face and see if that has the effect you want. I can't actually tell for myself which colors do this for me, but maybe you can.
posted by parkerjackson at 5:25 AM on October 3, 2010
So, play around with colors NEAR your face and see if that has the effect you want. I can't actually tell for myself which colors do this for me, but maybe you can.
posted by parkerjackson at 5:25 AM on October 3, 2010
I don't know if this addresses the short-term change you're talking about, but here's this.
posted by Red Loop at 5:58 AM on October 3, 2010
posted by Red Loop at 5:58 AM on October 3, 2010
If you look closely at your eyes, I suspect you'll find (like mine) that there's some banding around the pupils - some people have bands of colour in their irises, and since pupils dilate depending on ambient light and (sometimes) how you're feeling, the dominant colour in the iris can change.
It's actually pretty neat.
posted by mhoye at 6:20 AM on October 3, 2010
It's actually pretty neat.
posted by mhoye at 6:20 AM on October 3, 2010
Put simply: blue eyes are a result of the [near] absence of brown pigment, and dark brown eyes are the result of [near] complete pigmentation -- if dark brown eyes begin to sporadically appear blue, something may be wrong. Your circumstances do not sound like the result of de-pigmentation, so I would be concerned that glaucoma or another eye disease may be causing a characteristic grey-blue cloudy haze over the iris. It very well may be an optical illusion, but just to be safe, please see a doctor.
posted by biggity at 6:44 AM on October 3, 2010
posted by biggity at 6:44 AM on October 3, 2010
gtommy: I have heard that people under an altered state of mind can change their eye color among other things
Do you have any cites for this? If there actually are documented cases of this happening, I'd love to read about them.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:25 AM on October 3, 2010
Do you have any cites for this? If there actually are documented cases of this happening, I'd love to read about them.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:25 AM on October 3, 2010
Color is not a property of objects; it is a property of the light. Objects only selectively absorb or reflect the colors in the spectrum of light that illuminates them. If you take a red object into a room illuminated only by a green light, the object is no longer red. You may remember it as red, but an impartial observer will not. Same with your eyes. This "altered state of mind" thing may refer to the "remembering" or "un-remembering" of color, or the dilation or contraction of the pupil.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:58 AM on October 3, 2010
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:58 AM on October 3, 2010
Best answer: Look what happens when you walk past a darkened shop. The windows become a mirror. Darkness + reflective surface = mirror.
In your case, the "darkness" is provided by your eye color. The reflective surface is, of course, your corneas. When you glance just right, they reflect a large swath of lighter color (like the bathroom stall doors) and seem to change color.
posted by ErikaB at 9:01 AM on October 3, 2010
In your case, the "darkness" is provided by your eye color. The reflective surface is, of course, your corneas. When you glance just right, they reflect a large swath of lighter color (like the bathroom stall doors) and seem to change color.
posted by ErikaB at 9:01 AM on October 3, 2010
I have very dark brown eyes and my pupils almost look invisible. Most of the time it'd be accurate to describe my eyes as "black" since the brown is so dark. But when I wear bright royal blue or purple eye makeup, my irises look lighter, more like "brown" and less like "black". It doesn't work with green or aqua makeup, but blues and purples in this kind of range (random google search image, that's not me) seem to optically lighten my irises a lot.
Also, I've had people comment that my eyes look shiny and bluish in photos that were taken with me facing a very bright blue sky, which I think is the same as your "Metafilter effect".
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:02 AM on October 3, 2010
Also, I've had people comment that my eyes look shiny and bluish in photos that were taken with me facing a very bright blue sky, which I think is the same as your "Metafilter effect".
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:02 AM on October 3, 2010
Wow, if there's a way to do this I would love to know. My eyes are very dark brown and the lightest I've ever seen them work is a slightly lighter shade of brown.
posted by amro at 10:56 AM on October 3, 2010
posted by amro at 10:56 AM on October 3, 2010
Like handee and others, I have dark grey or dark blue eyes (depending on what I'm wearing and other factors). People see them all over the map - a lot of people who aren't looking closely think my eyes are brown, because the pigment is dark rather than the pale color we associate with blue eyes. I've also gotten green. I think hazel is the only color people never guess.
I agree with parkerjackson that it might have more to do with the color of your eyes as compared to objects in proximity to your face, not a reflection per se.
posted by Sara C. at 8:09 PM on October 3, 2010
I agree with parkerjackson that it might have more to do with the color of your eyes as compared to objects in proximity to your face, not a reflection per se.
posted by Sara C. at 8:09 PM on October 3, 2010
I noticed this in pictures of myself. They reflect the colour of items that are around (especially in front) of them. I have brown/hazel eyes, and have seen photos where they look green, almost blue.
If you have multiple colours in your iris like me, it also depends how dilated your pupils are. When widely dilated, my eyes appear brown because the brown part of my iris is the outermost part. When pupils are contracted, iris appears more hazel.
btw darkest brown eyes are my most favourite colour, and if I could change my eyes to be that, I would. For anyone who is angsting.
Husband has green/grey eyes, but if he's wearing blue, they seem very blue. This could be actual light refraction from him, or just my brain's interpretation picking out more of the bluish tints in his eyes because of the visual cue of the shirt.
posted by Ouisch at 10:17 AM on October 5, 2010
If you have multiple colours in your iris like me, it also depends how dilated your pupils are. When widely dilated, my eyes appear brown because the brown part of my iris is the outermost part. When pupils are contracted, iris appears more hazel.
btw darkest brown eyes are my most favourite colour, and if I could change my eyes to be that, I would. For anyone who is angsting.
Husband has green/grey eyes, but if he's wearing blue, they seem very blue. This could be actual light refraction from him, or just my brain's interpretation picking out more of the bluish tints in his eyes because of the visual cue of the shirt.
posted by Ouisch at 10:17 AM on October 5, 2010
When widely dilated, my eyes appear brown because the brown part of my iris is the outermost part. When pupils are contracted, iris appears more hazel.
Sorry, I actually meant the exact opposite.
posted by Ouisch at 10:19 AM on October 5, 2010
Sorry, I actually meant the exact opposite.
posted by Ouisch at 10:19 AM on October 5, 2010
Response by poster: I understand that when people have something complimentary to their eye color, they get a certain effect. I've also used purple eyeshadow/liner to make my eyes look lighter, but that's really not what happened with my eyes. I think ErikaB and ouisch had it in their comments. I thought my eyes became some sort of mirror, that's why I thought my eyes were silver, or other people thought they were blue.
I also forgot to add my eyes were a little bit watery. The light reflected on to my eyes were kinda glisteny and I guess that's why I got freaked out for a second.
posted by mrspeacock at 2:58 PM on October 5, 2010
I also forgot to add my eyes were a little bit watery. The light reflected on to my eyes were kinda glisteny and I guess that's why I got freaked out for a second.
posted by mrspeacock at 2:58 PM on October 5, 2010
« Older Wanted: stories or memoirs of the Unwanted | Find my kids some weird and wonderful rock and... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mrspeacock at 12:42 AM on October 3, 2010