Are Purple Eyes Real? Facts and Fiction Around Violet Eyes

Purple eyes may sound like something dreamed up for a fantasy character, but they really do exist. They’re extremely rare and beautiful — and usually more of a light violet color than deep purple.

Let’s look into why some people have purple eyes as well as some common myths around this eye color. And in case you’re one of those people, we’ll look at how to choose eyewear that complements them, so you always look magical.

Where Does Eye Color Come From?

All human eye colors depend on the amount of melanin the irises contain. This brown pigment is produced by cells called melanocytes, and it’s found in several parts of your body, including your eyes.

If you have plenty of melanin in your irises, you’ll likely end up with brown eyes — and because melanin absorbs light, the more you have, the darker your eyes will be. With a lot of melanin, it may even look like you have black eyes.

Because melanin protects a person’s eyes from the sun, the darker your eyes, the less likely you are to develop eye diseases. Sun damage is a contributor to eye conditions like ocular melanoma and cataracts.

On the other hand, if you have very little brown pigmentation in your eyes, instead of absorbing light, they’ll reflect it. And because blue light is most easily reflected, your eyes will look blue. Blue eyes are far more common in Caucasian cultures that originate from cooler areas of the world.

Other color variants like green eyes, hazel eyes, gray eyes, and amber eyes are the result of varying amounts and distributions of pigment, combined with reflected blue light.

So What Causes Purple Eye Color?

Purple eyes sit on the extreme end of this scale.

People who have almost no pigment at all, a condition known as albinism, may have blue eyes. Or they may have pale red or pink eyes because the lack of melanin allows light to reflect right off the pink blood vessels.

Add a tiny bit of melanin, and the eyes also reflect a little blue light (although not enough to produce blue eyes). Then the pink plus reflected blue combine to make purple eyes.

Only a tiny percentage of the world’s population has purple eyes (less than 1%), making it one of the rarest eye colors.

What Else Can Cause Unusual Eye Colors?

While purple eyes are very rare, there are also other reasons people may have unusual eye colors.

For example, some people have different colored eyes — often one blue and one brown — due to differing amounts of pigment in each eye. This is known as heterochromia iridis.

Heterochromia can also be the result of a medical condition known as Waardenburg syndrome, which affects the pigmentation of your eyes, hair, and skin.

And if you have an eye condition like uveitis — or inflammation of the eye — your eyes may look reddish.

Important Note: If you notice an eye color change in one or both of your eyes, it’s best to schedule a visit to your eye doctor as soon as possible. The earlier you get eye conditions treated, the better — otherwise they may cause vision loss.

Myths Around Purple Eyes

Perhaps because they’re so unusual and have a mystical look to them, purple eyes have given rise to a couple of different myths.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Eyes

For those too young to remember, Elizabeth Taylor was a beautiful movie star. In her heyday from the 1950s to the 1970s — long before colored contact lenses were available — she was famous for her supposedly violet eyes.

In fact, her eyes were dark blue but in a specific lighting, they looked violet. She was also very good at choosing makeup and clothes that brought out those purple hues, for example, black eyeliner, purple or blue eye shadow, or a violet scarf.

Alexandria’s Genesis

Another myth around purple eyes is a condition called Alexandria’s Genesis — or Alexandria’s Syndrome. The story first appeared online in 2005 that a woman named Alexandria, born in 1329, had a genetic mutation that gave her purple eyes. She had two children, also with purple eyes. All three of them supposedly lived extremely long and healthy lives and were believed to be genetically perfect.

Alexandria’s Genesis is nothing more than an internet myth and has no scientific proof behind it, but it’s often thrown around in the purple eyes discussion.

The Best Eyeglasses for Purple Eyes