Elsevier

Survey of Ophthalmology

Volume 41, Supplement 2, February 1997, Pages S117-S123
Survey of Ophthalmology

The color of the human eye: A review of morphologic correlates and of some conditions that affect iridial pigmentation

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6257(97)80018-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Iris color can be affected by a variety of ocular disorders. It is suspected that iris color may not remain constant throughout life. These observations have drawn attention to the morphologic correlates of iris color and its regulation. Differences in the iris color of normal eyes are the result of variable amounts of melanin pigment granules within a constant number of melanocytes in the superficial stroma of the iris. These melanocytes seem to reach their genetically determined amount of melanin in early childhood, and their melanin content usually remains constant in adulthood. Diseases such as Horner's syndrome and Fuchs' heterochromic iridocyclitis affect iris color, resulting in a decrease of iris pigmentation. Evidence suggests that melanin content of some melanocytes is subject to adrenergic regulation even past childhood. Application of the prostaglandin analogue latanoprost, on the other hand, leads to an increase in iris pigmentation in some patients. Studies with cultured dermal and uveal melanocytes, as well as with uveal melanoma cells, however, show no increase in cell proliferation when treated with latanoprost in vitro. The mechanisms by which latanoprost affects regulation of iris pigmentation requires further investigation.

References (46)

  • C Camras

    Comparison of latanoprost and timolol in patients with ocular hypertension and glaucoma — Preliminary results of the USA multicenter trial

  • OB Carino et al.

    Changes in iridial pigmentation past childhood through adolescence (abstract)

    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

    (1994)
  • GC Davenport et al.

    Heredity of eye-color in man

    Science

    (1907)
  • CE Dietrich

    Zur Feinstruktur der Melanocyten in dermenschlichen Iris

    Albert v Graefes Arch Klin Exp Ophthalmol

    (1972)
  • TP Dryja et al.

    Lack of adrenergic influence on the pigmentation of iris nevus cells

    Arch Ophthalmol

    (1980)
  • S Duke-Elder et al.

    The iris

  • R Eagle

    Iris pigmentation and pigmented lesions, An ultrastructural study

    Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc

    (1988)
  • L Feeney et al.

    Studies on human ocular pigment

  • BS Fine et al.
  • E Fuchs

    Normal pigmentierte und albinotische Iris

    Albrecht von Graefes Arch Klin Exp Ophthalmol

    (1913)
  • E Fuchs

    Über Kompliklationen der Heterochromie

    Z Augenheilkd

    (1906)
  • F Ghadially

    Melanosomes

  • R Hiller et al.

    Race, iris pigmentation, and intraocular pressure

    Am J Epidemiol

    (1982)
  • Cited by (136)

    • Microneedles

      2022, Microneedles
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    This work was supported in part by Pharmacia Ophthalmics Inc. NEI EYO 1917 (Dr. Albert), the Swiss National Foundation (Dr. Imesch), an unrestricted gift to the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., and the Wisconsin Lions Eye Research Fund.

    View full text