Celebrate Different Colored Eyes Day Every July 12
On July 12 we celebrate Different Colored Eyes Day.
The official name for this condition is heterochromia iridis. And obviously it causes a person (or animal) to have eyes that are different colors.
The condition is sometimes also called hterochromia iridum or just heterochromia.
Jeanne Quinn recently (June 2019) let us know she created the day in the 1980s. She wanted a day to celebrate people’s uniqueness.
Apparently although the focus is people with different colored eyes, that doesn’t have to be the only unique trait you celebrate on this day.
What Controls Eye Color?
The amount of melanin in your iris determines your eye color. Sometimes there’s a different amount in each eye, which causes the eyes to be different colors.
About 1 in 1000 people is born with this trait.
There are two different kinds of heterochromia:
- Complete, when each eye is a different color
- Partial (or sectoral), when one iris contains two different colors.
Many cases of heterochromia are heriditary. But sometimes a person can develop the condition from an illness or injury, when one eye changes color later in life. If one of your eyes changes color, get it checked out!
Heterochromia is more common in animals (specifically cats, dogs, and horses) than in people.
Even so, a surprising number of famous people have/had heterochromia, including Alexander the Great, Christopher Walken, Dan Aykroyd and Mila Kunis.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficially colorful holiday.
Ideas For Celebrating Different Colored Eyes Day
If you have different colored eyes, celebrate them! Take a close look at them in the mirror (have you done that lately?) and marvel at their uniqueness.
Throw yourself a party to celebrate being part of the (less than) 1% … of people with different colored eyes, that is!
Even if you don’t have different colored eyes, you can still celebrate the diversity of eye colors. From dark brown through hazel, green, grey and blue, there’s a wide variety of shades.
Are you one of the few people with green eyes? You’re also part of the 1%. Or maybe 2%. Only about 1-2% of people worldwide have green eyes.
If you have brown eyes, you’re pretty common. More than 55% of people share your eye color. But you’re no doubt unique in other ways! ;-)
So on Different Colored Eyes Day, make eye contact with everyone you talk to. And make note of each person’s eye color.
I am the originator of the day. I submitted it into the Chases Annual Calendar of Events in the 80s. It is a day to celebrate the uniqueness of people especially those with different colored eyes.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know. We will update the page soon to let everyone know!
[…] Different Colored Eyes Day: Celebrate what makes you unique! Despite the name of the day, it doesn’t have to be different colored eyes. But if it is that’s awesome! Why not throw a party & celebrate everyone’s unique traits? […]