{"id":1333,"date":"2023-02-02T15:48:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T20:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=1333"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:32","slug":"purple-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/purple-eyes","title":{"rendered":"Is It Possible To Have Purple Eyes?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unbelievable as it may seem, the answer is yes\u2014natural purple eyes do exist. Purple eyes are also commonly referred to as \u201cviolet eyes,\u201d as they are typically a light shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most people, this striking eye color can only be achieved with the help of colored contacts<\/a>. But the fact is that a small (albeit very small) percentage of people are indeed born with purple eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curious to learn more about this fascinating eye color? Get yourself comfy and read on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Purple Eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For any eye color, the cause boils down to melanin levels and genetics. But a natural violet eye color usually has an additional cause behind it: albinism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melanin and Genetics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Melanin is a brown-colored pigment that impacts our skin, hair, and eye color. The amount of melanin present in the iris determines its color, and genes determine the amount of melanin you have. The more melanin, the darker the eye color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how are there eye colors other than shades of brown? Put simply, the amount of melanin in the eye affects how much light enters the eye and gets reflected back out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with paler colored eyes, like blue<\/a> or violet, have less melanin in the iris. That means more light gets reflected back out, which makes the eye appear paler to an observer than if it had an abundance of melanin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albinism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Albinism is a genetic condition that causes a reduced amount of melanin in a person\u2019s body. It often includes reduced melanin in the eyes. With very low melanin levels in the eye, the iris might appear blue or, in some instances, red or violet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common misconception is that all<\/em> people with albinism have red-colored eyes, but according to the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, most people with albinism have blue eyes<\/a>, and some even have hazel<\/a> or brown eyes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies have explained<\/a> that when there\u2019s a complete lack of melanin, eyes appear red because of light reflecting off the eye\u2019s blood vessels. When there\u2019s some<\/em> melanin, but not enough to produce a blue color, those red reflections combine with the small amount of blue to create a light purple, or violet, eye color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\"No\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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No matter your eye color…<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t

You deserve to see clearly. (And to have a little fun shopping for eyewear, too.)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShop glasses <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdd a pair and save <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n
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How Rare Are Purple Eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People with purple eyes make up less than 1% of the world\u2019s population. This means purple, or violet, is truly one of the rarest eye colors<\/a> across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding accurate statistics for eye color is always a bit tricky because large-scale studies and data are few and far between. Although we might not know exactly<\/em> how many people have violet eyes, we can feel confident about this percentage because of what we know about albinism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only about 1 in 20,000 people<\/a> in the U.S. having albinism, and knowing that not everyone with albinism would have violet-colored eyes, the rarity of this eye color is undeniable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Wish You Had Purple Eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Violet eyes are real, but the chances of having or encountering someone with this eye color are slim. Wishing you had purple eyes? You can always achieve the look with the help of colored contacts. Just remember that your eyes are beautiful, no matter their color.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unbelievable as it may seem, the answer is yes\u2014natural purple eyes do exist. Purple eyes are also commonly referred to as \u201cviolet eyes,\u201d as they are typically a light shade. For most people, this striking eye color can only be achieved with the help of colored contacts. But the fact is that a small (albeit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":1334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-style"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs It Possible to Have Purple Eyes? | Warby Parker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yes! People can have purple eyes (but it\u2019s super rare). 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