One of the features of the appearance that distinguishes a person from others is the color of the eyes, or rather their iris. The most common is brown eye color, the rarest is green. But there is another rarity - these are people with different eye colors. This phenomenon is called heterochromia, but it occurs not only in humans, but also in animals. Heterochromia - what is it? What are the causes of its occurrence? You will learn about all this from this article.
What is heterochromia?
Heterochromia - what is it? With this phenomenon, a person can observe various pigmentation of the iris . It is no secret that the color of the iris is determined by the presence and distribution of a pigment on it, called melanin. If this substance is in excess or deficiency, then this can provoke a different color of the eyes. Heterochromia can be observed only in 1% of the population.
Causes
Heterochromia - what is it, you already understood, now we will deal with the causes of this phenomenon. In most cases, it is hereditary, it can also provoke diseases, injuries or syndromes. Eye color can sometimes change after some injuries or illnesses.
So, consider the possible causes of eye color changes:
- Waardenburg Syndrome.
- Neurofibromatosis
- Mild inflammation that affects only one eye.
- Injury.
- Glaucoma or medications that are used to treat it.
- Foreign object in the eye.
- Hereditary (family) heterochromia.
- Hemorrhage (bleeding).
Who happens?
Heterochromia - what is it, a disease or a rare feature of the body? This phenomenon has no effect on the quality of vision, since a person is also able to perceive and see various shapes and colors, like people with the same eye color.
Statistics have shown that the different colors of the iris are mostly characteristic of women than men. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence indicating the relationship between gender and heterochromia.
The most common is central heterochromia in humans, when the color of the iris changes to the center.
In rare cases, heterochromia appears as a result of the development of pathological processes in the human body. In this case, this feature is considered as a symptom and the causes of its occurrence are treated, of course, after a thorough diagnosis.
Varieties
Depending on the causes of heterochromy, it is divided into three main types: simple, complicated and mechanical. Let's consider them in more detail.
Simple
This is the simplest version of this phenomenon. In this case, the person has no other eye or systemic problems. In this case, a different color of the iris is observed in a person from his birth, and this in no way affects his health. However, this phenomenon is quite rare. It can provoke weakness of the cervical sympathetic nerve. In some patients, additional changes were recorded - displacement of the eyeball, skin discoloration, narrowing of the pupil, as well as ptosis of the eyelids. Sometimes the weakness of the sympathetic nerve can lead to a decrease or even termination of perspiration on one side, which indicates the development of Horner's symptom.
Complicated
This variety is a consequence of Fuchs syndrome, this pathological condition is manifested by the development of chronic damage to the choroid of the eyes. This ailment can develop in young people, in most cases only one eye is affected. This disease is practically not amenable to diagnosis. Typically, Fuchs syndrome is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Decreased vision.
- The clouding of the lens.
- Dystrophy of the iris.
- Small floating formations of white color.
- Gradual decrease in vision.
Acquired
This form can be triggered by eye injuries, mechanical damage, tumor formations, inflammatory lesions. Also, such heterochromia in humans (photo below) can develop as a result of the misuse of certain medicinal formulations.
Eye heterochromia - forms
As mentioned above, this phenomenon can be both hereditary and acquired. Based on this information, according to the degree of coloring, three main forms can be distinguished - complete, sectorial, and central heterochromia in humans.
Full
In this case, the irises of both eyes are painted in completely different colors, in other words a person is endowed with eyes of completely different colors, and the color of the iris has different shades. The most famous is complete heterochromia, in which some eyes are blue, the other is brown.
Partial heterochromia
With this form, one eye is painted in two completely different colors. This variety is also called sector heterochromia. In the iris, several shades can be counted simultaneously. For example, against the background of the squares of the iris, a spot of gray or blue may be present. It is this spot that indicates that when the child's eye color began to form and finally establish after the birth of the light, the body did not have enough pigment melanin, and as a result, the iris simply did not stain completely.
Partial heterochromia in children is explained by the fact that all babies have gray-blue eyes at birth, which later on, as a rule, change their shade. The formation of brown or darker eye color occurs later, moreover, this is possible only in one eye.
Central heterochromia
It is safe to say that this is the most common form of this phenomenon. In most cases, people do not even suspect that they have heterochromia, and are simply proud of the unusual color of their eyes.
It is also worth noting that the central heterochromia looks pretty elegant. And if you say that the eyes are a mirror of the soul, people with this species say a lot. This form of heterochromia does not cause discomfort, but you should still visit an ophthalmologist.
Recommendations and treatment
If you notice in yourself or your child a change in the color of one or two eyes at once, then it is advisable to consult a doctor. To make sure that these changes are not a symptom of a serious illness or any medical problem, a thorough eye examination is required.
Some syndromes and conditions associated with heterochromia, such as pigmented glaucoma, can only be detected as a result of a thorough examination.
A full examination will help to rule out many causes of heterochromia. In the absence of a major breakdown, further checks may not be required. However, upon detection of concomitant ailments, the patient is prescribed therapy, depending on the diagnosis.
It can be a laser surgical intervention, steroid treatment, and a vitrectomy is prescribed when the lens is clouded. The choice of method is directly related to the causes of the disease.
It should also be noted that the color of the iris in both eyes with congenital heterochromia will never be the same. If this phenomenon is acquired in nature, then the restoration of the color of the iris is quite real. This is especially the case when foreign bodies get into the eye.