Sectoral Heterochromia
I have a sectoral heterochromia in my left eye. It has been there ever since I was young. I just learned that term, sectoral heterochromia, two weeks ago when an advertisement for the (awful looking) movie "Unborn" prompted me to google search this particular condition. In the horrifying ad, the protagonist has a half colored eye, which in this particular movie, means that she is a Chimera. This made me excited. Could I be a Chimera, since I too have a half colored eye? Well, only one way to find out: Google. While I'll spare you the minute details, I found nothing that pointed to Chimera positively, but also a slew of other genetic disorders that could possibly be at fault for my strange half brown, half green eye.
From Wikipedia:
In anatomy, heterochromia refers to a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It may be inherited, due to genetic mosaicism, or due to disease or injury.[1]
Eye color, specifically the color of the irises, is determined primarily by the concentration and distribution of melanin.[2][3][4] The affected eye may be hyperpigmented (hyperchromic) or hypopigmented (hypochromic).[5] In humans, usually, an excess of melanin indicates hyperplasia of the iris tissues, whereas a lack of melanin indicates hypoplasia.
Heterochromia of the eye (heterochromia iridis or heterochromia iridum) is of two kinds. In complete heterochromia, one iris is a different color from the other. In partial heterochromia or sectoral heterochromia, part of one iris is a different color from its remainder.
Partial or sectoral heterochromia is much less common than complete heterochromia and is typically found in autosomally inherited disorders such as Hirschsprung's disease and Waardenburg syndrome.
Eh, wha? I was trying to figure out if I had a resorbed twin, and instead I find out that I could have a genetic disorder. This wasn't a good discovery. Luckily, I found an even better possibility. Some bloggers and other researchers who have looked in to heterochromia suggest that it is a sign of royalty, because it's oft found in European roayls (including Alexander the Great), and the gene is passed through family DNA, and generally must be present on both sides of the pool. However, my parents know of no other people in our family who have ever had this condition, except, of course, me.
I don't really pass the criteria for those genetic disorders from the Wiki article, and well, maybe I'm some Scandinavian princess, which would be cool, but I was really pulling for a resorbed twin. I suppose there is no way for me to ever really find out unless I went through some heavy duty medical testing, which I don't really want to go through, so for now, I will dream about being a Chimera Princess.
::UPDATES::
It's been awhile since I made this post, and have been enjoying the comments coming in over time. Thanks for leaving your stories :D
I'm going to try and add additional resources here when I find them.
MORE SECTORAL HETEROCHROMIA RESOURCES
Yahoo! Answers: Heterochromia
Sectoral Heterochromia Flickr Group
Facebook Group for People with Sectoral Heterochromia
16 people's thoughts:
Aww i wish you were a chimera! LOL.
I am glad you want to have an absorbed twin. hehehe
Even if it's just a genetic disorder: So what? Theoretically every mutation that lead to evolution was. So maybe you're the next step of humanity?
I think I will favor that idea. :)
Nicola
PS: I do follow you on this blog you know? So far i have just done it secretly. :)
i love this blog. i just went on the same search as you. i have light light blue eyes and i was looking at them closely for the first time and found these anoying hazel streaks going accross diaganly one in each eye. well i searched it after seeing unborn. (oddly great movie)
but i found pictures and realised that is about what i have, so i searched the word and your blog came up. and i being an aries that rambles, had to read it. and im loving the whole princess idea btw.
thank you for posting this blog. its amazingly helpful!
--tali
I have the same thing, blueish eyes with brown patches in each. People always think it's cool and ask about it, I tell them my mom confused my baby eyedrops for iodine. Nobody's bought that yet.
I was researching Sectoral Heterochromia and I saw your blog(first time visitor). I just thought it was interesting because I have identical twins and only one has sectoral heterochromia (hence my search). They both have blue eyes, but one has a gold/lt. brown spot taking up about 20% of his iris. So maybe you did absorb that twin :)However, I don't mind thinking my kids are royalty...lol
I just found out i have sectoral heterochromia too! I didn't even know there was a name for it, but my eye has been that way for as long as I can remember. My aunt has the same thing. My eye is really freaky looking though because the colors are shaped kind of like an hour glass, two triangles across from each other are bluish green and the other two are brown. I think its cool though
hy,
i noticed that i have preety much same Sectoral Heterochromia (the colours) as you..my right eye is half green and half brown and left all green..
this blog rocks :)
I stumbled across your page while googling variants of sectoral heterochromia, as I just figured out that I have it too. I have green eyes with a brown stripe going diagonally upwards through my left eye, and a paler brown stripe going diagonally downwards through my right eye. I've always thought that the opposing diagonals made me look a bit odd, but people seem to think its cool.
I'd like to learn more about the genetics of it, as I too have had no relatives with this. I've never had an eye injury though, so its got to be genetic. Almost all of my relatives on both sides of the family have hazel eyes though ... I've wondered if this could be related. Although hazel eyes are separate from heterochromia, they do consist of a mix of pigmentation, which is what results in the "changing eye color" phenomenon people sometimes experience. I wish there was more out there about this phenomenon!
Sectoral Heterochromia has been a sign of royalty, both in the past and today.
Baroness Grace Talarico di Capace has a very unique form. There was a good picture of her eye on a fashion site when she was with Emilio Pucci in Rome. Her eyes are a light jade green/blue, but the left eye has a perfect band of dark brown from the pupil down- it gives the appearance of a "tiger eye". The caption said that Baroness Grace Talarico di Capace's father also has it too.
Her son was the family's Baron Vito Robert Albergo of the Albergo Branch of the noble Barbaro family of Venice, Italy, but he has since become the acting head for the House of Barbaro and, as such, was later styled Princely Count Vitus Sebastian Barbaro, Patrician of Venice. The site said that the princely count might have it as well.
Lady Gabriella Windsor has Sectoral Heterochromia. Lady Gabriella is of the House of Windsor, related to the Queen of England, of the "Kent" line. She typically goes by "Ella Windsor". Go check out her website: www.ellawindsor.com. There is a close-up picture of her eye showing her type of Sectoral Heterochromia as soon as you enter.
...just a little info of some royals with sectoral heterochromia!
I have sectoral heterochromia too. My eyse are generally blue/green. But 1/4 of my right eye is brown and there is another, smaller brown patch across from it. My dad also has a small brown patch in his eye, but you have to look for it. After my son was born (two blue eyes) I had several miscarriages so we went through genetci counseling. Because of my eye they questioned me about Waardenburg syndrome, but I had no other symptons.I just figured it was just one more weird thing about me. Much cooler if it is a sign of royalty.
I have blue eyes and have a large brown patch in my right i to started researching after watching unborn and after asking my parents if i had a twin they decided to get rid off some were along the lines of my up bringing the funny thing is wen i was little i always asked my mum if i could have a twin seen as i dont have a twin i think i was just blessed with my odd eyes i to think maybe i am a princess xxxxxx nicola, 29 from leeds xxx
Hi !
Nice article,
one of my two 3 month old twins also has heterochromia on one eye. Its horizontally divided.
The are fraternal twins, and they are (both) Aries too.
Just like their father.
Loving all the comments on this blog! Thanks for reading and posting :D
Hi :) I have the same thing. The top half of my left eye is brown while the bottom half is blue. My right eye is completely blue. I've had this since birth as far as I know and have never really thought to look up a scientific explanation until tonight. It's my favorite part of my body and, while I've met several people with two different colored eyes, I've never met anyone with two colors in one eye. The only thing I've ever heard about it is that during the "burning times" it was referred to as the "evil eye" and those with it would be burned for witchcraft. Thank goodness it's not the middle ages though I imagine I'd be burned for witchcraft anyway lol.
I've got the same! Half brown, half bright green... Yay, royalty and absorbed twins!
Though, I think I must have absorbed the royal twin... 'Cause I'm as poor as a church mouse. ;) Maybe DNA and genetic testing will bring me royalties.
Hello, I have the same thing only its in my right eye... I have been trying to look for it about the right eye but they only talk about the left eye. Makes me kinda sad really
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