HETEROCHROMIA

I. Rationale or Introduction

Heterochromia is Greek word. Heterochromia causes difference in colors

of iris, hairs and skin. Hetero means different while Chroma meaning is colors.
Heterochromia is due to excess or lack of melanin in body this results
heterochromia to human, dogs and cats also. Heterochromia causes the change
in color of iris or eyes.

This is basically changed in color of eyes this can be with hairs and skin
also. In other words in this one eye has different color than the other eye. This is
due to lack of melanin. Melanin is a pigment. Naturally melanin is dark brown or
black. Brown eyes have large concentration of melanin. Blue eyes have less
melanin. Green eyes have more melanin than the blue eyes but less than brown
eyes. If there is very less concentration of melanin then eyes can be seen red.

Still it is very hard to say what color of eyes would get the baby from his
parents. But still there are 16 genes are responsible for the eye color in the
humans.

II. Analysis

Heterochromia is classified primarily by onset: as either genetic or

acquired. Although a distinction is frequently made between heterochromia that
affects an eye completely or only partially (sectoral heterochromia), it is often
classified as either genetic (due to mosaicism or congenital) or acquired, with
mention as to whether the affected iris or portion of the iris is darker or lighter.
Most cases of heterochromia are hereditary, caused by a disease or syndrome, or
due to an injury. Sometimes one eye may change color following certain diseases
or injuries.

1) Congenital Heterochromia
This is inherited as autosomal dominant. This finds one in thousand.

2) Sectoral Heterochromia
Sectoral heterochromia meaning is particular a part of your iris color is
changed in one eye and rest portion is same color. Heterochromia looks like an
irregular spot that is a different color than the eye color and does not form a
complete ring around the pupil like Central Heterochromia. Heterochromia is
most prevalent in cats and dogs. Sectoral Heterochromia is extremely rare in
humans, only about 1% of the population has it.

There are two types of sectoral heterochromia:

Abnormal Iris Dark

In this abnormal iris dark the iris gets dark in color this due to excess of
melanin which causes dark our iris color this color may be brown. Excess of
melanin is called the hyperplasia situation.

Abnormal Iris Light

In this abnormal iris ligh the iris color gets light this is due to lack of
melanin which causes the light color of eyes it can be light blue. Lack of melanin
is called the hypoplasia situation.

3) Acquired Heterochromia

This causes due to injury, tumor and from eye drops. This is due to eye
drops for those damages the iris of eye.

4) Central Heterochromia
This changes the eye color from center to outward. It means the eye color
in the center can be brown and outward it can be grey. Thus when you wake up
and if you see there is change in color of your eye then go to doctor.
Causes Heterochromia:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Heterochromia.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

 Inherited trait  Foreign body in eye

 Familial heterochromia  Eye injury
 Waardenberg syndrome  Siderosis bulbi
 Glaucoma medications  Congenital Horner's syndrome
 Glaucoma  Fuch's heterochromic iridis
 Inflammation in one eye  Hirschsprung's disease
 Neurofibromatosis  Incontinentia pigmenti
 Eye hemorrhage  Parry-Romberg syndrome

III. Conclusion

Therefore, I conclude that in anatomy, heterochromia refers to a difference

in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result
of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It is the condition that

causes people to have two different colored eyes. Heterochromia is a very unique
trait that causes people to have different colored eyes. The causes for this are
Genetic and Environmental, such as the Genetic causes are that is it a Dominant
Autosomal trait and also how it is influenced with Albinism. The Environmental

factors include injury to the eyes and high toxins in the body. Partial Albinism is a
strong theory because no one else has it, which means that there has to be a

mutation in her genes that codes for the melanin amount. The mutation in her
cells caused Albinism. Although Heterochromia is expressed on the physical level
there is more than meets the eye.
IV. References

1. "heterochromia iridis - definition of heterochromia iridis in the Medical

dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and

Encyclopedia". Medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-

04-27.
2. http://www.heterochromiairidum.com/what-is-heterochromia/

3. Swann P. "Heterochromia." Optometry Today. January 29, 1999. Retrieved

November 1, 2006.

4. "Heterochromia: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". Nlm.nih.gov.

Retrieved2014-04-27.

5. http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/sym/heterochromia.htm#intro. Causes of
Heterochroma

6. http://differentcoloreyes.weebly.com/index.html
7. http://differentcoloreyes.weebly.com/case-study-and-conclusion.html