About Grey Eyes

[Zivernach]

Not sure if this is the right area... But something caught my attention lately, from where grey eyes come from exactly? Are them a variation of blue? And why it is so rare?

Thanks

[Classifier]

Technically, grey eyes contain less melanin than blue eyes, and they both descended from the same origin. Many ancient Europeans had brown eyes but a genetic mutation caused the OCA2 gene to be limited (this OCA2 gene plays a vital role in producing melanin in the eye). The melanin color is brown, but the mutation can affect its 'switch' over time. Origins of grey eyes were notable in Siberia and Northern Europe where there have been weak sunlight so the melanin 'switch' was not triggered enough. But that didn't mean Southern Europeans couldn't have grey eyes origin, too, as they could have, but the mutation occurred less frequent than in the environment of Northern Europe.