Why babies are born with blue or gray eyes

One of the first things that catches the attention of the baby are their clear eyes, especially if in the family the eyes are dark ... how long will the children have light eyes the baby? Will your eyes stay that way forever? Babies tend to have bluish-gray eyes, but the color is more likely to dark

One of the first things that catches the attention of the baby are their clear eyes, especially if in the family the eyes are dark ... how long will the children have light eyes the baby? Will your eyes stay that way forever?

Babies tend to have bluish-gray eyes, but the color is more likely to darken,until they have their final color at 6 or 9 months of age.

The eyes color of newborn babies

If the baby is already dark brown eyes at birth, keep that color or even darken more, blacks. Babies who have the color of the eyes more clear, gray or blue their color will go darkening, and will have their final color between 6 months or even the year.

The color of the iris (the colored part of the eye) is due to melanin. This is a protein, secreted by the melanocytes, which give color to the iris, hair and skin. In the newborn the melanin-producing cells, the melanocytes, are still immature, and produce melanin in small quantities. As the months pass, this production of melanin increases and thus darkens the skin, hair and also the eyes.

There is a popular belief, which relates the light color of the baby's eyes to the duration of breastfeeding. That is, there are people who think that the light color of the baby's eyes is caused by breastfeeding. In fact, there is no scientific basis for this thinking. What happens is that if the usual duration of breastfeeding is 6 to 9 months, it may coincide with the darkening of the baby's eyes due to the maturation of the melanocytes.

Yes, sun exposure seems to be related to the activation of melanin production by melanocytes. Even some adults can change the color of the eyes depending on their exposure to the sun. In the newborn they are clear because they have been the first months in darkness inside the maternal womb.

The final color is largely genetically determined, but external factors such as light are also likely to influence it. As time passes, if the melanocytes secrete little amount of melanin the baby will have blue eyes. If the amount is a little higher, the eyes will be green or honey or hazel. If the melanin secretion is greater, they will be brown or dark brown or black.