Can You Change Your Eye Color to Blue Naturally?

It's hard not to love a dazzling pair of baby blues. Unfortunately, unless you were born with blue eyes, there aren’t any ways to naturally change your eye color, but there are some options. We’ll fill you in on those options, how blue eyes work, the myths surrounding them, and much more.

Changing Your Eye Color to Blue Naturally

Change your eye color to blue temporarily by wearing color-tinted contacts prescribed by an eye doctor. Otherwise, there are no natural and scientifically proven ways to change your eye color. Some surgeries may change eye color, but they’re unsafe and not guaranteed to work.

Section 1 of 9:

Can you change the color of your eyes naturally?

Download Article

Unfortunately, no, it’s not possible to change your eye color naturally. Just like your hair and skin color, the color of your iris is genetic.^{[1]
X
Trustworthy Source

MedlinePlus
Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine

Go to source} That means that unless you break down your genetic code or cell structure, your eye color cannot be changed permanently, at least not without surgery. Some people online may claim they’ve changed the color of their eyes through diet, meditation, or other methods, but these aren’t scientifically possible.
- Many babies have blue eyes when they’re born because their bodies haven't created very much melanin yet.
- That said, eye color may change over time with aging or some health conditions.

Section 2 of 9:

What’s the easiest way to get blue eyes?

Download Article

Wear blue-tinted contact lenses to temporarily make your eyes blue. Color-tinted contact lenses can give you the appearance of blue eyes without having to change anything physical.^{[2]
X
Trustworthy Source

American Academy of Opthamologists
Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research

Go to source} To make sure your contact lenses are safe, visit an eye doctor and get a prescription. If you have glasses, you can get prescription colored contact lenses to wear every day.^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source

US Food and Drug Administration
U.S. government agency responsible for promoting public health

Go to source}
- Colored contact lenses from home goods or costume stores aren’t safe, and they could damage your eyes. You should always purchase contacts from an eye care professional.

Section 3 of 9:

Can surgery make my eyes blue?

Download Article

Yes, but there are many risks to eye color surgery. While there are some surgical options that could give you blue eyes, the truth is that none of these options are considered safe or entirely viable, and most ophthalmologists heavily discourage them. They can all lead to blindness, even when done correctly. That said, here’s what you should know about each of them:^{[4]
X
Trustworthy Source

Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source}
- Iris implants, where an artificial iris is set over your existing iris, giving it a new color, but this surgery has very rarely succeeded, and can damage your eyes or even cause blindness.^{[5]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  American Academy of Opthamologists
  Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research
  
  Go to source}
- Laser pigmentation removal, where a laser pointed at the eye removes layers of melanin, which can cause vision loss, and also can’t guarantee which color you end up with.
- Keratopigmentation, where a laser cuts grooves into the iris, then pigment is injected into the grooves. It can cause infection, blindness, or long-term vision challenges.
- Gene therapy, where a virus is implanted into the eye, resulting in a change in the genetic makeup, changing eye color. It sounds cool, but it’s only been done on rabbits, and human procedures are still years out.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}

Section 4 of 9:

Genetics of Blue Eyes

Download Article

1
What causes blue eyes? Your eye color is decided by your genes long before you’re born. Your parent’s genes combine to determine your own eye color. Two of these specific eye color genes are OCA2 and HERC2, which influence how much melanin is produced in your eyes, and how much melanin is in your eyes influences their color.^{[7]
X
Trustworthy Source

MedlinePlus
Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine

Go to source}
- Blue eye color is a recessive trait, meaning it’s easily overwritten by dominant traits, like blue eyes.
- Blue eyes are actually caused by a lack of pigment that makes the light bouncing off a blue-eyed person look blue—there isn’t actual blue cells or pigment in the eye.^{[8]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  American Academy of Opthamologists
  Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research
  
  Go to source}
2
Which parent do you get blue eyes from? The answer is: it’s complicated! Unlike some traits, eye color isn’t influenced by just one of your parents. We used to think eye color was that simple, but recent research has disproved that. Now, we know that there are at least 8 genes that influence eye color, and whether or not a baby gets blue eyes has to do with how all these genes interact, so it’s impossible to say which parent a baby gets them from.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- All that said, you can sometimes predict a baby’s eye color by looking at their parent’s eyes.
- Two parents who both have blue eyes are very likely to have a blue-eyed baby. One blue-eyed parent and one brown-eyed parent have about 50:50 odds, and two brown-eyed parents have very slim (but not impossible) odds.
- You might encounter an activity in a science class about this, using Punnett squares to predict traits.
3
Are all blue-eyed people related? Scientists think so! In fact, they believe that blue eyes are actually a relatively recent gene mutation, and since that mutation is so unlikely, they believe it must’ve occurred in just 1 person, who passed it down. This person likely lived 6-10 thousand years ago somewhere in Europe.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Of course, this happened so long ago that it’s not like you’re a close relative to every blue-eyed person if you also have blue eyes. But you are very, very, very, very distant cousins!
- Blue eyes probably evolved because of their connection to lighter skin tones, which was useful to many people in Europe, since lighter skin allows the body to absorb more vitamin D in cloudy and colder climates.^{[11]
  X
  Research source}

Section 5 of 9:

Myths About Changing Eye Color

Download Article

1
Can your mood change your eye color? Yes, but it’s a very subtle change. When you feel an intense emotion like anger, sadness, or excitement, your pupils might dilate or contract.^{[12]
X
Research source} This change can influence how your eye color looks just slightly, but they might only turn a shade or two lighter or darker.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- So no, unfortunately your eyes won’t change from brown to blue, but they might change from dark brown to a lighter brown, which is pretty cool!
2
Can honey make your eyes blue? No, that’s an urban myth. Some people swear that by mixing honey and hot water and using it as eye drops, you can make your eyes turn blue. However, there is no scientific evidence to back that up, and you can really irritate your eyes that way.^{[14]
X
Trustworthy Source

American Academy of Opthamologists
Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research

Go to source}
- Your iris is in the center of your eyeball, not the surface. Using eye drops won’t help change the color of your eye because you can’t actually touch your iris.
- The same is true for lemon juice eye drops. You’ll just end up irritating your eyes.
3
Can your diet change your eye color? No, your diet doesn’t affect eye color. You might see people online claim that an all-vegan or an all-raw paleo diet changed their eye colors, but there’s no scientific basis for these claims. If their eyes did change color, it may have been due to other health conditions or a slight change in pigmentations as they aged.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Researchers say it’s possible your diet could very slightly change eye color, but it’d be so slight and over such a long period of time you probably won’t notice.

Section 6 of 9:

Using Makeup to Lighten Eyes

Download Article

Use browns, oranges and blues to make your eyes look lighter. When you’re picking out eyeshadow and eyeliner, go for softer tones like light brown and baby blue instead of black. Professional makeup artist Kelly Chu tells us that this will help bring out the blue undertones in your eyes and make your eye color look both lighter and brighter.^{[16]
X
Expert Source

Kelly Chu
Professional Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}
- Other complementary eyeshadow colors that can enhance blue eyes include gold, warm orange-browns like peach and copper, red-browns like mauves and plum, and neutrals like taupe or camel.
- Or, try wearing brown mascara instead of black mascara.
- Makeup won’t make brown eyes look blue, though, unfortunately.

Section 7 of 9:

What does it mean if my eyes change color?

Download Article

Changing eye colors might mean heterochromic iridocyclitis (inflammation of the eye), pigment loss, uveitis (inflammation of the middle eye), or trauma. Any one of these things can lead to blindness and health complications, so you should see a doctor right away if you notice anything strange.^{[17]
X
Trustworthy Source

American Academy of Opthamologists
Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research

Go to source}
2
Aging can cause eyes to slightly change color over time. Rarely, the pigmentation in people’s eyes can change. It might break down, or get more intense. Scientists aren’t super sure why this happens, but it’s not common, and usually very subtle. But if you’re looking at old photos of yourself and you seem to have a slightly different eye color, it might just be the work of time.^{[18]
X
Research source}
- That said, many babies are born with blue eyes that change color quickly. This is because babies’ eyes are still developing their pigment. Usually their permanent color is locked in at around 9 months.^{[19]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  American Academy of Opthamologists
  Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research
  
  Go to source}
Color is a tricky thing, whether we’re talking about what colors our eyes are or what color our eyes are seeing. If you’re wearing a certain color or standing in a certain light, it might make your eyes look a completely different color. If you notice your eyes changing color, try swapping outfits or standing in natural, neutral light, then look again.^{[20]
X
Trustworthy Source

Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source}

Section 8 of 9:

How rare are blue eyes?

Download Article

About 27% of all people have blue eyes. That makes blue eyes the second-most common eye color, after brown, which 45% of people have. The rarest standard eye color is green, which only about 9% of people have, then hazel, which about 18% of people have.^{[21]
X
Trustworthy Source

American Academy of Opthamologists
Professional medical organization focused on advocating for public health and supporting sight-related research

Go to source}
- Hazel and green eyes are likely the rarest because they depend on recessive genes to make a pigment combination that only slightly alters the default brown color of the iris.

Section 9 of 9:

Interesting Facts About Blue Eyes

Download Article

1
Blue eyes may see better in the dark, but worse in bright light. According to one study, people with blue eyes have an easier time seeing in dim lighting. The lack of pigmentation in blue eyes lets more light into the iris. On the flipside, because they let in so much light, blue eyes may be more sensitive to bright lights than darker-colored eyes.^{[22]
X
Research source}
- That’s why it’s especially important for people with blue eyes to wear sunglasses
2
People with blue eyes may have lower risk of cataracts. Cataracts are when the lens of your eye breaks down and clouds over, limiting vision. Studies show that people with lighter colored eyes, like blue, are less prone to cataracts than people with darker colored eyes, like brown eyes.^{[23]
X
Trustworthy Source

PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} Researchers are still looking into why, though!
- That said, anyone can develop cataracts through too much sunlight exposure. Again, sunglasses are important!

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Never make any dramatic physical changes to your eyes or body without consulting a physician first.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Make sure you know how to put on contacts properly! Use proper care and hygiene. You don't want to damage your eyes accidentally.
Make sure to consult a doctor before using contacts! Ill-filling contacts could lead to infections, blindness, or worse.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!