| MadSci Network: Genetics |
The interior of the eye chamber is coated with melanin, a dark pigment necessary to prevent internal reflections that would obscure a visual image. Melanin is the pigment layer between the nerve tissue of the retina and the vascular choroid tunic. Melanin also determines the color of the iris. Brown eyes results from the presence of melanin-there is no pigment in blue eyes. They appear blue due to light reflecting back from the iris stroma. Melanin is also the main pigment of skin and hair. White people have very small amounts of skin melanin as compared to Africans or races with brown skin. There are no nutrients or foods that could lower only the pigment of the eye. Indeed, nutrient deficiencies, diseases and certain drugs are known to reduce skin pigments (many times in unsightly patches), i.e. an unhealthy state. Genetics determines eye color. There are blue, green, gray, etc. contact lenses that could safely change eye color for daytime, cosmetic use. G.S. Stoewsand Professor of Toxicology, Emeritus
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