{"id":1077,"date":"2022-10-26T11:16:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T15:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:28","slug":"rarest-eye-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/rarest-eye-color","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Rarest Eye Color?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The rarest eye color in the world is likely violet<\/a> or red\u2014and yes, those colors can occur without the help of contacts. Many factors can influence eye color, including genetics and even certain medical conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll discuss the rarest eye colors, how eye color percentages break down across the population, and how specific health conditions can affect the color of your eyes. But before all that, we\u2019ll look at what determines eye color in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Determines Eye Color?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Genetics and melanin are the two key components that help determine a person\u2019s eye color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melanin <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Differences in eye color (e.g., brown vs. blue) are due to the amount of melanin\u2014a brown pigment\u2014present in the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have melanin on both the back and front layers of your iris, that causes your eyes to look brown. On the other hand, eyes with no melanin on the front layer of the iris have a lighter appearance because they have less pigmentation. In other words, more melanin = darker eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact: You could technically say that almost everyone<\/em> has brown eyes<\/a> because even eyes that appear sky blue tend to have brown pigment on the back layer of the iris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Has anyone ever told you that you have your mom or dad’s eyes? Well, they\u2019re partially correct! Everyone inherits genes from their parents that influence eye color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These genes impact the amount and distribution of melanin in your eyes, resulting in a wide variety of possible shades. Research has identified around 16 genes that can influence eye color<\/a>, though there are two located on chromosome 15 that seem to have the most pronounced effect.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, scientists consulted a much more simplistic model to predict eye color through heredity, but further study has proven that the genetics of eye color are quite complex. This complexity accounts for children who don\u2019t have the same color eyes as either of their parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Rarest Eye Colors (and Percentages of People Who Have Them)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brown and blue eyes<\/a> are two of the most common eye colors in the world, but when it comes to determining the least common eye colors, the numbers aren\u2019t clear-cut. Unfortunately, there haven\u2019t been too many large-scale studies that can accurately tell us the prevalence of different eye colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The table below demonstrates how more common eye color percentages break down in the United States, according to a 2014 Harris Poll of 2,000 Americans by the American Academy of Ophthalmology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

But what about the colors not listed here? It\u2019s challenging to find a definitive list of rare natural eye colors because the term “rare” can mean something different depending on the region and the source you\u2019re consulting. (For example, blue eyes wouldn\u2019t be considered rare at all in Iceland!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people think of rare eye colors, they may be thinking of any of the following shades: <\/p>\n\n\n\n