No longer a brown-eyed girl

QMy eyes are changing colour! They used to be dark brown, now they’re hazel. Is that normal?

Terri, Portadown

AYour eye colour is fixed by around age 3 and shouldn’t change, though it’s common for your eyes to become lighter, for example changing from dark brown to hazel, as the iris loses some pigment with age. It’s also possible for your eyes to darken if you’re exposed to a lot of sunlight.

Sometimes it only looks as if your eye colour has changed because your pupil, the black circle in the middle, has enlarged or shrunk. Some drugs, including eye drops, can affect eye colour, and rarely a change is a sign of eye disease.

If it’s very obvious, or only affects one eye, check with your doctor.