As a parent, you may have asked yourself the question – which parent determines eye color? Eye color is determined by a combination of genetic factors and the environment.
While it is impossible to predict what eye color your child will have before they are born, there are some scientific theories that can help explain how both parents’ genes affect eye color.
How genetics determines eye color
Eye color is a polygenic trait, which means that multiple genes work together to determine the final outcome. This can make it difficult to predict exactly what eye color a child will have before they are born.
However, it is possible to identify what type of genetic codes each parent contributes to their baby’s eye color.
The main gene responsible for eye color is known as OCA2.
This gene produces melanin, a pigment which gives eyes their darker shades of brown and hazel.
However, other genes such as HERC2 and ASIP also play a part in determining the amount of melanin produced in the iris and therefore influence eye color.
Each parent passes down two copies of each gene, one from each side of their family tree.
The combination of these four copies determines the final outcome. Thus, making it impossible to predict exactly what shade of brown or green your baby will have before they are born!
The environment affects eye color too!
In addition to genetics, environmental factors such as nutrition and exposure to sunlight can also affect your child’s eye color.
Studies show that babies exposed to more sunlight tend to have lighter eyes than those who were not exposed as much.
This is because exposure to sunlight increases production of melanin. This leads to lighter shades like blue or gray-green in some cases!
Nutrition also plays an important role in ensuring that your baby’s eyes stay healthy and vibrant. So make sure they get plenty of vitamins A, C, E and zinc!
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, determining which parent determines eye color is impossible without looking at both parents’ genetic code for that particular trait!
Although there are certain environmental factors that can influence a child’s eye color (such as nutrition or exposure) most cases come down purely on genetics.
So if you’re wondering about your little one’s future peepers- make sure you check out both sides of their family tree!
Thanks for reading our blog post on why both parents determine eye colour. Hopefully this has answered any questions you had about this fascinating topic!
