Black eyes are considered the most common eye color, along with green, blue, grey, brown, amber, or hazel eyes. Green, grey, and blue are some rare eye colors, while brown has a majority, but all this is topped by black colored eyes. So are they actually black? Is it possible for a person to see things with black eyes?
As we all know that the colored part of our eyes is called the iris. The color of our eyes depends on the pigment melanin that is present in our iris. The more pigment, the darker the color of your iris. Hence a completely black eye will make it impossible for anyone to see anything.
Causes of a black eye
There are very fewer chances of getting a black eye. It usually happens from a trauma to the face or head, which causes under-the-skin bleeding. Because of this, discoloration is caused, or a bruise appears. This black isn’t actually serious, but they can sometimes point towards a medical emergency such as a skull fracture. Black eyes are usually referred to as an eye bruise or brushing around the eyes; it can also be caused after some surgical procedures, like nose surgery or a facelift.
Black eyes appear because the blood which originates from the forehead or nose gets collected under the eye due to gravity. The blood that settles under the eyes due to the fracture at the base of the skull is called ‘Raccoon eyes.’ After a few days, the black-and-blue area around the eyes turns to yellow or green color because the skin breaks down and starts to reabsorb the surrounding tissues.
Countries and their eye colors
African and Asian countries have a higher frequency of dark brown eyes. In the Middle East, the most common eye color is dark brown. However, in Europe, both the superiority and coloration of brown eyes vary appreciably from location to area. They range from dark brown to light blue, but usually, they have the lightest eye colors.
Within America, an anticipated 41% of the population has brown eyes — together with dark brown eyes, light brown eyes, and honey-brown eyes. If we count hazel eyes (which are called hazel brown eyes), the prevalence is even better. The people of Central and South America, including some parts of the Middle East, have hazel, green and blue eyes.
According to World Atlas, eye color seem to fall into these percentages:
1. Brown eyes
- Between 55 and 79% of people have brown eyes worldwide.
- The most common eye color.
- Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia people have dark brown eyes.
- Light brown eyes are common in West Asia, America, and Europe.
2. Blue eyes
- Between 8 and 10% of people worldwide have blue eyes.
- Most common in Europe, especially Scandinavia.
- Blue eyes are caused because they produce less melanin.
- The first person with blue eyes was found in Europe about 10,000 years ago. So all blue-eyed people have a common ancestor.
3. Green
- Only 2% of people have green eyes.
- They are most common in Northern, Central, and Western Europe.
- Approximately 16% of people with green eyes have Celtic and Germanic ancestry.
- The iris carries a pigment called lipochrome and, at simplest, a bit of melanin.
4. Hazel
- Hazel eyes are uncommon, and only 5% of people have them, yet they are found all over the globe, especially in Europe and the US.
- Hazel is a light or yellowish-brown color with light specks of gold, green, with brown in the center.
- People with hazel-colored eyes have almost as much melanin as people with brown eyes. However, it is mostly around the edge of the iris, not the center.
5. Amber
- Only 5% of people around the world have amber eyes. Though they are uncommon, they are found all over the world.
- Amber is golden yellow or coppery with specks of gold, green, or brown.
- The iris of amber eyes contains the pigment lipochrome more than melanin.
- Amber eyes are more common in dogs, fish, and birds.
6. Grey
- Grey eyes are very rare, and only less than 1% of people have them.
- They are commonly found in Northern and Eastern Europe.
- According to scientists, grey eyes have very less melanin.
- Grey eyes scatter light differently, which makes them pale.
Hence this clears that there’s no such eye color as black eyes, and it’s just a myth or a misunderstanding. Actually, black eye is only caused because of injury, and the ones we have aren’t black eyes; instead, they are a dark shade of brown.
