What's Unique about Brown Eyes? Where Are They Found Common?

Brown eyes, the most common eye color globally, conceal a fascinating interplay of genetics and pigmentation.

This article delves into the world of brown eyes, where genetics, the distribution of brown-eyed people in the world, different shades from light to dark, and unique traits come together. Plus, from the benefits and disadvantages of brown eyes to recommendations for colored contacts for brown eyes, we've got your eye color queries covered.

What Causes Brown Eyes? - High Concentration of Melanin

The color of your eyes is influenced by the amount of melanin in the iris. Melanin is a pigment that is responsible for the coloration of various tissues in the body, including the skin, hair, and eyes.

Eyes with a low concentration of melanin tend to appear blue or grey. As the amount of melanin increases, the color can shift towards green, hazel, or light brown. When the iris contains a high concentration of melanin, the eyes typically appear medium or dark brown.

How Common Are Brown Eyes?

Brown eyes are the most common eye color globally, with approximately 79% of the world's population having them. Brown eyes are commonly found in Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas.

Different Shades of Brown Eyes

The amount and distribution of melanin in your iris determines the shade of brown in your eyes. The following are the most common shades of brown eyes.

Light Brown Eyes

👁️ Honey brown eyes - It's a mesmerizing blend of golden, amber, and brown tones, with visible honey-brown pupils.

👁️ Cognac brown eyes - Cognac brown is a natural and earthy color with reddish-brown hues. Pupils of cognac brown eyes are clearly visible.

Medium Brown Eyes

👁️ Chestnut brown eyes - Chestnut brown is a warm reddish-brown shade that resembles the color of chestnuts. The pupils of eyes with this color are prominent.

👁️ Russet brown eyes - Russet brown is a dark brown color with a reddish-orange tone, and the pupils of eyes with this color are easily visible.

Dark Brown Eyes

👁️ Chocolate brown eyes - Chocolate brown is a dark shade of brown with very little warm undertone, making pupils difficult to figure out.

What Are the Best Colored Contacts for Brown Eyes?

There is a wide range of colored contact lenses that work well on brown eyes. 📌 Keep in mind that if you want an obvious transformation, opt for opaque lenses to completely cover your original brown eye color. Instead, choose less opaque lenses for a more natural transformation.

Here are the popular choices of colored contact lenses for brown eyes.

Green Contacts for Brown Eyes

Green contacts work perfectly on brown eyes.

On light or medium brown eyes, green color contact lenses appear bright and vibrant and keep the warmth of your natural undertone simultaneously. On dark brown eyes, green colored contacts look bright and contrast with your natural eye color. The already scarce warm undertones became slightly neutral-toned.

⭐👀 TTDeye Trinity Green comes in 3 colors including brown, green, and dark green in the outer limbal ring, offering a subtle change and lightening your brown eyes to a honey hazel green color! If you don't want a limbal ring, consider TTDeye Queen Green. The light yellowish-green lenses appear a light green color when combined with your brown eyes!

Blue Contacts for Brown Eyes

Blue is another popular choice of color contacts for brown eyes. On light brown eyes, blue contacts appear to be sea blue. If your eyes are a darker shade of brown, you can expect dark blue eyes with the help of light blue contact lenses.

⭐👀 TTDeye Himalaya Blue features 3 colors, yellow near the pupil, blue, and black in the limbal ring, which blend with your eyes well and cover the brown tones effectively! With light blue as the main color and black spots on the outer ring, TTDeye Vanilla Blue brightens your brown eyes in a natural way!

Grey Contacts for Brown Eyes

Grey contacts are also a must-try for brown eyes and they make your eyes bright and mysterious. We recommend those with medium to high opacity.

⭐👀 TTDeye Himalaya Grey is a 3-tone color contact lens with yellow and grey patterns on the main body and black spots on the outer ring. Another gray lens we would recommend here is the TTDeye Polar Lights Grey, a 1-tone color lens with good coverage, offering a clear and natural effect.

Benefits of Brown Eyes, plus Disadvantages

Benefits of Brown Eyes

Brown eyes may offer greater protection against certain eye diseases. The higher levels of melanin in brown eyes are suggested to contribute to a lower risk of eye conditions such as eye cancer, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Disadvantages of Brown Eyes

Brown eyes seem to be associated with a higher risk of developing cataracts. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, an Australian study indicated that the risk of cataracts might be twice as high for people with brown eyes compared to those with different eye colors. However, the specific reasons for this higher risk have not been conclusively determined.

More Facts about Brown Eyes

1. Hazel vs brown eyes, what's the difference?

Hazel eye color is a mix of brown and green, sometimes with flecks of gold, blue, or grey. Brown eyes, however, contain no shades of green, blue, or grey.

2. Amber eyes vs brown eyes, what's the difference?

Amber eyes have a yellowish-gold tint due to the higher amount of pheomelanin than brown eyes. Brown eyes contain a high concentration of melanin, making them look darker than amber eyes.

3. How do brown eyes look in the sun?

The sun's rays can stimulate the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for eye color, and cause brown eyes to change. They may look darker or shift in color towards hazel or green.

4. Are brown eyes dominant?

Yes, in terms of eye color inheritance, brown eyes are often considered dominant. This means that if an individual inherits one copy of the brown eye gene from either parent, their eyes are likely to be brown.

5. Do brown eyes have a limbal ring?

Certainly! Most people are born with a limbal ring in their eyes, even those with brown eyes. However, as we age, limbal rings often become less prominent. If you wish to enhance or bring back the appearance of limbal rings in your eyes, consider trying TTDeye limbal ring contacts.

6. Brown eyes are less sensitive to sunlight.

The increased density of pigment in brown eyes acts to block and reduce the impact of light rays, making them less sensitive to sunlight. However, people with light-colored eyes, such as blue or gray, often experience discomfort in bright sunlight, a condition known as photophobia.

7. Europeans with brown eyes aren't born with them.

Europeans, like people elsewhere, can have brown eyes, but what sets them apart is that most European babies are born with blue eyes. Brown eyes develop later as melanin production increases, leading to the term "baby blues," as explained in a LiveScience article.

Conclusion

All shades of brown eyes, from light to dark brown, are unique and attractive. They are all the result of amazing genetic selection. So embrace your brown eyes although they are not as rare as green, grey, or blue eyes.

Our range of green, blue, and grey contacts offers an easy solution to naturally change your brown eyes if you want to figure out what you look like with a different eye color. Click on the links below to go shopping!

🛒🛍️ TTDeye Green Color Contacts >

🛒🛍️ TTDeye Blue Eye Contacts >

🛒🛍️ TTDeye Grey Contact Lenses >