Lions Eye Institute, Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011 Jul;39(5):462-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2010.02487.x. Epub 2011 Mar 16.
Eye colour or, more accurately, iris colour is one of the most obvious physical characteristics of a person. European parents frequently ask the colour of their newborn's eyes, only to see the iris change dramatically during their child's first year of life. Genetic and epidemiological findings have uncovered further details about the basis for iris colour, which may have important implications for further research and treatment of some eye diseases and ocular characteristics. Surprisingly there is no widely recognized classification system for eye colour. An added difficulty when trying to devise an international system is that subtle differences in colour description exist between languages (e.g. hazel vs. auburn). We reviewed the recent and very early literature pertaining to eye colour classification. Recent genetic investigations of eye colour have tended to either use simple (three-category grading systems) or more complex digital colour grading. We present a nine-category grading system. Categories in this novel schema include: (i) light blue; (ii) darker blue; (iii) blue with brown peripupillary ring; (iv) green; (v) green with brown iris ring; (vi) peripheral green central brown; (vii) brown with some peripheral green; (viii) brown; and (ix) dark brown. Although different observers may categorize a person's eye colour differently, it is generally only by an adjacent category. We also describe a continuum of iris pigmentation from a small ring of brown around the pupil to almost complete brown with small peripheral flecks. Digital publishing and assessment of iris colour will result in more standardized classification of iris colour and investigation of its role in eye disease.
眼睛颜色或者更准确地说虹膜颜色是一个人最明显的身体特征之一。欧洲父母经常会询问他们新生儿眼睛的颜色，结果却发现孩子在出生后的第一年里虹膜颜色会发生戏剧性的变化。遗传和流行病学研究结果揭示了虹膜颜色的更多基础细节，这可能对一些眼部疾病和眼部特征的进一步研究和治疗具有重要意义。令人惊讶的是，目前并没有一个被广泛认可的眼睛颜色分类系统。在尝试制定国际系统时，另一个困难是语言之间对颜色描述存在细微差异（例如淡褐色与赤褐色）。我们回顾了与眼睛颜色分类相关的近期和早期文献。最近对眼睛颜色的遗传研究倾向于使用简单的（三类分级系统）或更复杂的数字颜色分级。我们提出了一个九级分级系统。该新方案中的类别包括：（i）浅蓝色；（ii）深蓝色；（iii）蓝眼睛带棕色瞳孔周围环；（iv）绿色；（v）绿眼睛带棕色虹膜环；（vi）外围绿色中央棕色；（vii）棕色带一些外围绿色；（viii）棕色；（ix）深棕色。虽然不同的观察者可能会以不同的方式对一个人的眼睛颜色进行分类，但通常只是相邻类别。我们还描述了从瞳孔周围的棕色小环到几乎完全棕色带小周边斑点的虹膜色素沉着连续体。数字出版和虹膜颜色评估将导致虹膜颜色的更标准化分类，并调查其在眼部疾病中的作用。
