Comments on: Cateye and heterochromia

By: laurent

laurent — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:28:42 +0000

Your eye is beautiful. I will show my eye to you tomorrow!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:01:05 +0000

I too have central heterochromic eyes. I always just thought my eyes are green, but they’re really greyish blue with a greenish brown middle.
To those of you who mentioned something about mosaicism, or chimerism, and don’tknow much about it, I know just a little bit about it from a genetics class. If I recall correctly, it happens during conception. Two or more sperm fertilize an egg. Or, two eggs are fertilized with two different sperma, and then somewhere in the growth process they fuse together to make one embryo. So people who have this condition could actually be considered TWO people, because they have two complete sets of DNA. Each cell, however, has just one set. This results in patches of cells that have different DNA from their neighbors. In skin, this would result in patches of differently colored skin. That could explain different colored hair. But, it is very rare. Most cases of heterochromia are probably caused by irregularities in the production and control of pigments.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sat, 02 May 2009 08:29:49 +0000

I too was born with one bleach blonde eyebrow and the other dark brown. I never knew exactly what it was until researching it just now. I’ve had it this way for 19 years and have always loved it. My hair color is also red/auburn. Nice to know I can put a name to it.

By: Tayhla

Tayhla — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:28:35 +0000

i have heterochromia of my eyebrows and eyelashes, my left are light orange/blonde and my right are very dark brown. I was born like this but they have become more contrasting as i got older. My natural hair colour (on my head) is dark red/aurburn.

i only discovered that there was a name for this yesterday! how exciting.

By: LTH

LTH — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:16:37 +0000

My son’s eyes are like yours — dark blue with a brown center, though the brown center in his eyes is turning more green as he gets older. I think this is about as beautiful as eyes can get. My husband, who has black hair, had a white-blond streak near the back of his head all his life (until he went bald), growing from about a silver dollar shape and size of scalp. For the concerned parent, he is now 59 years old and no sign of problems. Probably a bit of genetic mosaicism. The genetics involved with central heterochromia is something that I have had trouble finding, so if anyone has the answers I would be interested.

By: fraise

fraise — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:44:54 +0000

Goodness no, no one’s ever suggested excision! It doesn’t affect health in any way, it’s just a different hair color (and I too have pinker, more sensitive skin where my blonde hair is). In a way I see it as a gift, to be living proof that differences can live side by side.

Keeping in mind that I’m not a doctor and this is based only on what I’ve read over the years, in the cases where heterochromia is a sign of health problems, it’s just that — a sign, it’s not the cause. Kind of like having freckles is a sign of sensitive skin, but not the cause!

By: Diana

Diana — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:36:29 +0000

You are the only person I have ever come across whose hair is remotely similar to my son’s. He has brown hair with a definite platinum blonde (not white) patch in back. It was present at birth but has grown from the size of a dime to over 2 inches across at age seven. The scalp is pinker in this spot, and I think a bit more sensitive than the rest of his head. He has no other heterochromia irregularities. The UCLA Dermatology staff was stumped and amazed.
Has anyone ever suggested you excise this spot? I am worried that my boy will face this one day.

By: fraise

fraise — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:32:00 +0000

No worries, I know the feeling! I’ve only ever met one other person with heterochromial hair in real life, and that was when I was 7 years old. I had loads of illnesses as a child, so I don’t think I have the heightened resistance to infection. I do wonder what color(s?) my hair is going to turn as it greys…!

By: Simon

Simon — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:50:28 +0000

Hello

I have sort of similar features, my eyes are brown in the middle with a blue rim around, with the upper side so light that it looks fading. My hair is brown but with golden flashes and, what is oddest, now that I am turning 47 my hair is getting blond spots rather than grey… I look a lot younger, could be taken for 30 y.o. or less. I was told I could have a genetic condition called mosaicism or chimerism (I am currently under test for that), and that could even help me resist infections – in fact I never got any children’s disease. May I ask you if you ever noticed something similar, sorry if I am disturbing you but finding a heterochromic kin is so rare…

Have a nice time.

Simon