Is truly green really an eye color?

[Ginevra]

This is your frivolous question of the day. Novels very frequently characterize someone - especially attractive people - as having *truly* green eyes, like emerald green. But are there people with this eye color naturally? Because usually “green” eyes are a hazel. Or if there is green in the iris, there is also brown near the pupil and the overall effect makes the eye color seem brown. (My eyes are this color.) 

But does anyone have brilliant green eyes with no mixture or colors and hazel tones? I do think that famous National Geographic woman with the striking eyes may have had truly green eyes. I think…might go look it up to remember. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

https://lasikomaha.com/10-facts-about-green-eyes/?amp

[YaelAldrich]

My oldest has green eyes. It isn't as striking as the NG girl but they are striking. They can turn colors somewhat to greyish or yellowish. When he was born he had striking blue eyes (and blond hair) You might think - normal. But I'm Black and Korean (lt brown eyes) and my husband is Eastern European Jewish and German (Hazel eyes).  People looked at him and looked at us and did several doubletakes. His eyes and hair didn't change until well into his second year. His hair is light brown with blondish highlights. 

My next son has gray eyes that morph blue and kind of green. Likewise blond and blue eyes until after 2. Now dark brown hair.

Daughter born brown/brown. Still the same.

Last son blue eyes and light brown until 1 year old. Now hazel eyes and brown hair.

[YaelAldrich]

6 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

https://lasikomaha.com/10-facts-about-green-eyes/?amp

My son's eyes look like the handlebar mustache guy in this link.

[footballmom]

I have a SIL with green eyes, but I guess green is rare and she corrects people all the time when they say something about her blue eyes.  They are not emerald green. 

[KungFuPanda]

Since green is a secondary color, there aren't any greens that don't lean towards other colors. Green eyes love to change depending upon the light reflected around them.  My eyes are green with a thin gold circle around the pupil, but there's not enough gold or brown in them that you could call them hazel. With make-up, I can make them look more blue, or I can make them go all the way to an olive drab color.  Green eyes are weird.  I'm not sure I've seen clear green eyes the way you see clear blues.  My dad had almost denim blue eyes and my grandmother had baby blue eyes.  They both seemed very clearly blue.  

 

I also have red hair so my green eyes aren't my most unusual feature.  I'm not sure I've seen even VERY green eyes that look like emerald green.  They always lean more towards foresty colors like moss or leaves.

Edited February 1, 2022 by KungFuPanda

[TrulySusan]

My mom has green eyes that are a kind of light green, like sage. The only emerald green eyes I have personally seen had some help from colored contacts 😂 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

My oldest has green eyes. It isn't as striking as the NG girl but they are striking. They can turn colors somewhat to greyish or yellowish. When he was born he had striking blue eyes (and blond hair) You might think - normal. But I'm Black and Korean (lt brown eyes) and my husband is Eastern European Jewish and German (Hazel eyes).  People looked at him and looked at us and did several doubletakes. His eyes and hair didn't change until well into his second year. His hair is light brown with blondish highlights. 

My next son has gray eyes that morph blue and kind of green. Likewise blond and blue eyes until after 2. Now dark brown hair.

Daughter born brown/brown. Still the same.

Last son blue eyes and light brown until 1 year old. Now hazel eyes and brown hair.

I can imagine the double-takes. I was surprised to have one blue-eyes child because neither I nor dh have blue eyes. Apparently we both have the recessive gene, though; me presumably through my mom and dh presumably through his dad. 
 

I’ll never forget one time a server at a restaurant commented on my youngest’s beautiful blue eyes and remarked that dh and I didn’t have blue eyes and my other kids didn’t either. I always thought that was pretty brazen of her to comment, lol, since there are numerous reasons, some of them pretty personal, why that could be! In our case, it was simply a surprise genetic presentation, but how could she presume we were all genetically fully related? 

[Selkie]

I have green eyes and so does one of my boys - like the green in the National Geographic picture. Not  a bright emerald, but not hazel or brownish, either. Both of us started out with blue eyes that turned green after a few years.

[lmrich]

Interesting... I always remember Scarlett O'Hara's green eyes. 

I have deep blue eyes that turn emerald green when I wear green. For a dance my college freshmen year, I borrowed a beautiful green dress from a girl down the hall. My eyes were so green, and even now, whenever I see that picture, I am surprised at how I look with such green eyes. 

 

[Meriwether]

My dad has very green eyes. Mine have more brown than hus but are definitely green. Two of my daughters have green eyes. We called one by the nickname Gracie Blue because she had blue eyes at birth, but they were definitely green by the time she was 6 months old. The nickname still stuck.

[Selkie]

I can remember being about three years old and looking in the mirror and being so surprised that my eyes weren't blue anymore. I ran and told my mom, "My eyes are GREEN now!" It was interesting to see the same thing happen with my ds' eyes.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't think the afghan girl's eyes were striking because of the green part.  I think they were striking because of the way the light reflected from the gold starbursty part and because of her intense gaze.  My eyes have that color green, but the gold rim around my pupils is so so thin that you can't see it at a distance and that shot of gold really adds depth and drama.  That green all by itself just isn't all THAT noticeable.  

[prairiewindmomma]

I have yet to see green eyes without flecks of gold or a brown freckle or some blue mixed in.  Every eye has a natural pattern--so even within green eyes there are light greens and medium greens.  Maybe there is someone who looks like a green from an ink pen filled in the same everywhere, but I have yet to see them. 

 

[elegantlion]

I have green eyes, they're almost a dark olive color. I have some brown flecks but my eyes always look green. I do have light sensitivity and most of my heritage is English, Irish, or Scottish. 

 

https://owlcation.com/stem/The-Difference-Between-Green-and-Hazel-Eyes

[KungFuPanda]

Tangent, but I think of the Afghan "girl" now and then because she's about my age and has struggled her whole life.  Last I checked, she landed in Italy when America withdrew from Afghanistan this last time.  It must be awful to be continually displaced because of war.  She's the subject of the most famous photo in the world and her image probably doesn't belong to her.

[YaelAldrich]

20 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I don't think the afghan girl's eyes were striking because of the green part.  I think they were striking because of the way the light reflected from the gold starbursty part and because of her intense gaze.  My eyes have that color green, but the gold rim around my pupils is so so thin that you can't see it at a distance and that shot of gold really adds depth and drama.  That green all by itself just isn't all THAT noticeable.  

All that plus the skin tone that emphasizes the green and gold eyes. 

[Scarlett]

57 minutes ago, TrulySusan said:

My mom has green eyes that are a kind of light green, like sage. The only emerald green eyes I have personally seen had some help from colored contacts 😂 

My husbands eyes are light green like that.  My eyes are green.  Not emerald, but also not light and no brown. And not hazel.  Green.  

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Tangent, but I think of the Afghan "girl" now and then because she's about my age and has struggled her whole life.  Last I checked, she landed in Italy when America withdrew from Afghanistan this last time.  It must be awful to be continually displaced because of war.  She's the subject of the most famous photo in the world and her image probably doesn't belong to her.

Who is the afghan girl?

[prairiewindmomma]

3 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Who is the afghan girl?

google "National Geographic afghanistan girl eyes" and you'll see.

The photo is a brilliant study in color contrast. The color of her robes matches her cheek color and both are opposite on the color wheel of the background and her eyes. It's a startling photo--in part because she stares down the camera lens.

[prairiewindmomma]

Sharbat Gula is 50 now, was photographed around age 12 and married at age 13.  Italy sponsored her evacuation and settlement this past fall: https://people.com/human-interest/national-geographic-famed-afghan-girl-finds-refuge-in-italy/

[Scarlett]

6 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

google "National Geographic afghanistan girl eyes" and you'll see.

The photo is a brilliant study in color contrast. The color of her robes matches her cheek color and both are opposite on the color wheel of the background and her eyes. It's a startling photo--in part because she stares down the camera lens.

Oh ok, that is a stunningly beautiful girl.  Her eyes have a ring of almost black  around the green .  My eye color is solid and darker than this girls.  

[fraidycat]

I thought I had green eyes, but now that I look very closely thanks to this thread, I have no idea what color they are! 😂😂

They are not hazel, but not really green, either. My DH has hazel. My DD has dark, dark brown and my DS has silver-grey.

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by fraidycat
Removed photo

[SounderChick]

I have not seen what I would call emerald eyes in real life but some I would call true green.  MDD has blue/ green eyes that are gorgeous an outer ring of blue and an inner ring of green.

[Melissa Louise]

A nutritionist once told me my green- brown eyes were a false colour, and underneath the toxins, mine were probably blue. I've never felt the same way about my eyes since. They are more olive than bright green though. 

[Lady Florida.]

Mine are a medium green with a dark green ring around the iris. They're not emerald but are clearly green and not hazel. There are some gold flecks sprinkled around my pupil. My mom used to say she could always tell when I wasn't feeling well because my eyes went from green to yellow-green. I've never noticed in myself but moms see things we can't. She had brown eyes. My dad had hazel and my brother has our dad's hazel eyes. 

I don't think green eyes come in that clear color that blue eyes have. Dh, ds, and dss have crystal clear blue eyes that make people look twice. 

[Syllieann]

My bff has light yellow-green with no hint of brown, but she's the only person I've seen that on irl.  And I think I'd call it more chartreuse than emerald.  Lots of my family members have dark green/hazel that have a thin ring of brown around the pupil.  The brown disappears with age.  I still have a tiny bit of brown left but my mom's (late 60s) are solid green.  I guess it's like graying where the pigment disappears with age.

[Melissa Louise]

16 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Mine are a medium green with a dark green ring around the iris. They're not emerald but are clearly green and not hazel. There are some gold flecks sprinkled around my pupil. My mom used to say she could always tell when I wasn't feeling well because my eyes went from green to yellow-green. I've never noticed in myself but moms see things we can't. She had brown eyes. My dad had hazel and my brother has our dad's hazel eyes. 

I don't think green eyes come in that clear color that blue eyes have. Dh, ds, and dss have crystal clear blue eyes that make people look twice. 

That's how my mum knew I was getting sick. Eyes went green-yellow. 

[wathe]

37 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

A nutritionist once told me my green- brown eyes were a false colour, and underneath the toxins, mine were probably blue. I've never felt the same way about my eyes since. They are more olive than bright green though. 

Oh, that feels so icky to me.  I'm sorry that happened to you.

It's quite possible that I'm reading more into your anecdote that was meant.  But the idea that brown/green eyes  = bad, toxic, dirty;  Blue eyes = clean, healthy - that bothers me.  Quite a lot.

[Melissa in Australia]

Mine are green, with flecks of gold, I have 3 children with blue and 2 with green eyes one of the green is the same as me and one is a green with blue flecks. Dh has vivid  blue eyes. Mine change colour slightly with the weather. like the ocean

 My neighbour has extremely green eyes, no flecks at all and they don't seem to change colour with the weather either

[Ali in OR]

Dh and I both have green eyes. Mine are darker, no brown at all. His are lighter, clearer. Our 4 sibs all have blue eyes. Our 3 dds all have blue eyes that can look greenish, but not like ours.

[Melissa Louise]

18 minutes ago, wathe said:

Oh, that feels so icky to me.  I'm sorry that happened to you.

It's quite possible that I'm reading more into your anecdote that was meant.  But the idea that brown/green eyes  = bad, toxic, dirty;  Blue eyes = clean, healthy - that bothers me.  Quite a lot.

Yeah, it wasn't nice. 

[scholarly]

My eyes are the color green of Michigan State's green, with just a bit of olive in the center. When I cry they change to a bright green that looks fake, like colored contacts. My husband's eyes are a light sage green and our daughter has his color of eyes. DH and I are both of Irish/Scottish ancestry with green and blue eyes pretty much the rule in our families.

[TechWife]

The National Geographic woman’s eyes look blue leaning towards hazel to me. I’ve never thought of them as green, interesting. When ds was young he had blue eyes that changed in intensity according to what he was wearing. By the time he was school aged they were hazel but would turn something like an olive or sage green if he wears a dark green shirt. I haven’t seen him in blue in ages so I don’t know if his eyes pick up blue or not. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Melissa Louise said:

A nutritionist once told me my green- brown eyes were a false colour, and underneath the toxins, mine were probably blue. I've never felt the same way about my eyes since. They are more olive than bright green though. 

Toxins? That sounds like quite the whopper! 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

Toxins? That sounds like quite the whopper! 

I remember hearing the same thing when I was young.not about my eyes specifically though.  

[Scarlett]

@fraidycat looks green to me!  Mine are the same color, but you have a more pronounced ring than I have.  

[wintermom]

I just checked my dh's eyes. They are green/blue. He's of Irish decent. They do shift colour depending on the lights. I have questioned myself sometimes as to what colour they actually are. 

[Emba]

My youngest ds had blue eyes when he was a baby, just like me (dh had brown eyes). As he grew, his eye color became more ambiguous. Now they are a grey-green, maybe. It very much depends on what he’s wearing. A blue shirt might make him look blue eyed again, and a green shirt will make them look a very pronounced green. 
 

i can’t think of any green eyed people I’ve known that had a green as pronounced and clear as many blue eyed people. My family of origin is all blue eyed, ranging from denim blue to light icy blue. My MIL had dark olive green eyes, with definite brown tones. I’m sure that’s where DS gets his green eyes.

[Splash1]

My mom's are a light/medium gray green.  Depending on what she wears they lean either green or gray sometimes look blue far away in right colors.  She has no yellow or brown in them at all.  Her mother and sister are more hazel, her father and other sisters are light, bright blue.  

Mine are blue, with no other color in them at all.  Very dark blue rims with darker blue color eyes

[historically accurate]

Years ago, when I was going through breast reconstruction, my plastic surgeon had emerald green eyes. He leaned over the top of me all the time, so I definitely noticed them. The first time I noticed them I assumed it was his green-ish shirt that was making them that green, but they stayed that green through the whole 6 months of procedures. They're the only truly green eyes I've actually noticed.

DH has hazel eyes, and mine are deep, dark brown. Two of the kids got my color, and one has darker hazel.

[Katy]

I’ve had people ask me if my eyes are green, my blue eyes change. Sometimes they’re more pale. Sometimes more green, sometimes gray, sometimes brighter blue. I think it has more to do with blood pressure than anything, but eyeshadow, clothes, and how tan I am play influence it too. 

DH’s eyes are usually mostly brown, but when he’s really happy the go more hazel green with the outer ring looking blue. 

[Pawz4me]

My eyes are green, with a bit of hazel around the iris.

[Scarlett]

Here is mine 

[HS Mom in NC]

I have green or blue eyes that change based on what color I'm wearing with a blue outer edge. If I'm not wearing a top they're light green. I got them from my maternal grandfather. My oldest daughter, bio brother, mom, dad have green eyes as do my FIL, step-dad, step-brother, and step-sister. Their eyes are are green no matter what color they wear.

[WendyLady]

I have green eyes with a bit of hazel toward the center. When I cry they become strikingly bright green. But I wouldn’t call them emerald. I have been accused of wearing colored contacts (I don’t!) My husband has brown eyes. Two of our kids have brown eyes, one has green eyes, and one has tawny eyes - almost orange. We call them hazel but they are really interesting and hard to describe. Eyes are cool.

 I hope all you green eyed ladies have a great day- you are beautiful!!! 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by WendyLady

[SKL]

I had a co-worker whose eyes were emerald green.  Fascinating!

[SKL]

I do have a couple of sibs whose eyes are greenish, but I think of that as hazel.  My co-worker's eyes were not cloudy at all, but a truly bright, beautiful green.

[Lady Florida.]

Here's mine. Red eyes are thanks to allergies. 

 

[Lady Florida.]

Adding that I also have Irish ancestry on my father's side. There's probably some Scottish as well.

Something to keep in mind about Sharbat Gula (Afghan girl) is that it's very likely the photo was enhanced. Most professional photographers will adjust their photos before submitting them. This was true long before digital photo editing was available. It's not deceptive, just normal for professional photography.