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There are no definite ways to predict eye color, but there are some steps you can take to make an educated guess when predicting your baby’s eye color. The most obvious place to start is noting the color of the parents’ eyes. You can increase the accuracy of your prediction if you also consider the eye color of all 4 grandparents. Once you have all of the information, you can determine how likely each color is. Since eye color is polygenic (controlled by multiple genes), keep in mind that your predictions could be off a bit.
Steps
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Observe the color of the mother’s eyes. Babies inherit genes from both the mother’s side and the father’s side to determine eye color. This means that the mother’s eye color will have a direct influence on the baby’s eye color, though they may not be the same. The first step to a good prediction is to note the eye color of the mother as one of the following: [1] X Trustworthy Source MedlinePlus Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine Go to source
- Brown
- Blue
- Green
- Hazel
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Factor in the father’s eye color. Since only 50% of the genes determining eye color come from the mother, the father’s eye color should also be noted. Again, the baby’s eye color could be different from either or both parents, but knowing the parents’ eye colors gives you a starting point. Label the dad’s eye color as brown, blue, green or hazel. [2] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Know the eye colors of all 4 grandparents. This is most helpful when the two grandparents from either side have different colored eyes. By comparing their eye colors, you can learn more about the genes that their children (including one of the baby’s parents) carry. [3] X Trustworthy Source HealthyChildren.org Health information from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Go to source
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Look at the eye color of both parents’ siblings. Parents’ siblings can also shed light on the variety of genes in the family. When siblings have different eye colors, it can indicate that the parents carry two different genes for eye color (heterozygous) instead of two copies of the same gene (homozygous). This information can help determine whether the baby’s parents are heterozygous or homozygous, and increase the accuracy of your prediction. [4] X Research source
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Learn the difference between heterozygous and homozygous. If a parent is homozygous for the genes determining eye color, that means that they have 2 copies of the same allele. If a parent is heterozygous for eye color, then they have 2 different alleles for that gene. The most dominant allele is the one that will be expressed (the eye color you will see, or the phenotype). [5] X Research source
- An allele is a variant form of a gene and alleles are found on the same place on a chromosome.
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Consider any additional information gained. The goal of analyzing additional family members is to attempt to discern whether parents are homozygous or heterozygous. If a parent is homozygous, there is a 100% chance that they will pass the gene for their eye color to the child. However, that drops to 50% for a particular gene if the parent is heterozygous.
- For example, blue eyes indicate a homozygous parent because the gene that expresses blue eye color is a recessive gene.
- Brown eyes can be homozygous or heterozygous because the gene that expresses brown eye color is a dominant gene.
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Keep in mind that eye color is polygenic. Polygenic traits are traits that rely on more than 1 gene for expression. This means that several genes influence eye color, making predictions based on the parents’ eye color even less certain. With that in mind, it is still a good starting point for an educated prediction. [6] X Research source
- For example, if both parents have blue eyes, they will both pass a gene for blue eyes to the child. This means that in the vast majority of cases, that child will have blue eyes. However, in rare cases, other genes change the color of the eye from blue to brown, hazel, or green.
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List all known genes for eye color. Once you have analyzed all of the family members that you plan to include, make a list of their eye colors. This list will need to be analyzed either by hand or using computer software to determine possible eye colors for the baby. If you have no experience with inherited genes, you should use a computer program or consult someone that has knowledge of how genes are passed down. For example: [7] X Research source
- Father: blue eyes
- Mother: brown eyes
- Paternal Grandmother: brown eyes
- Paternal Grandfather: blue eyes
- Maternal Grandmother: brown eyes
- Maternal Grandfather: blue eyes
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Use an online calculator. Online calculators do most of the biology and math for you. Enter the eye color of each relative (e.g., parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles) in the indicated fields. When you are finished, the program will analyze the data and tell you the likelihood of each eye color. [8] X Research source
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Draw a Punnett square. A Punnett square can be made for eye color by drawing a chart with 2 columns and 2 rows. On top of the columns, list the father’s alleles (genotype) for eye color. Along the left side of the rows, list the mother’s alleles for eye color.
- If you can determine the 2 genes that each parent has (this is easiest if both parents are homozygous), you can make a Punnett square . This square will tell you the possible gene combinations for your baby, which will indicate the possible eye colors. The Punnett square will also show the probability of each color.
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Fill in the Punnett Square. There should be 4 blank spaces under the father’s alleles and to the right of the mother’s alleles. In each space, write the father’s allele from the above it and the mother’s allele from the left of it. These 4 gene combinations are the possible combinations of your baby.
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Determine the probability of different eye colors. The 4 boxes represent possible combinations of alleles. Each box represents a 25% chance that your baby will have that combination of alleles, and thus the eye color that it represents. If a certain combination does not appear in any box, there is no chance of having that combination. If a combination appears more than once, the chance of the baby carrying those alleles is greater.
- In the example above, it is clear that the father is homozygous (because blue eyes are recessive) and that the mother is heterozygous (because her father had blue eyes and could only have passed that gene). This allows you to make a Punnett square with 4 boxes. The likelihood of the baby having brown eyes will be 50% and the likelihood that it has blue eyes will be 50%.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you find a baby eye colour calculator?Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Her studies are focused on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases.If you Google or Bing "baby eye color calculator" many options will pop up that are often free to use.
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QuestionHow is it possible for brown eyed parents to have a blue eyed child?Community AnswerIf we simplify the genetics, brown eyes are dominant, and blue eyes are recessive. If both parents are heterozygous (meaning they have the brown eye allele and the blue eye allele), they will both have brown eyes, but also have the blue eye allele ready to give to their children. If they each give that blue eye allele to their child (there is a 25% chance of this happening), the child will have blue eyes.
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QuestionMy mom has brown eyes, my dad has blue eyes, my grandparents have blue eyes. I have brown eyes. Is it possible to change my eye color naturally?Community AnswerNo, not at your age. A baby's eye color might change in the first year of life.
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References
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/traits/eyecolor/
- ↑ http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/baby-eye-color.aspx
- ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Newborn-Eye-Color.aspx
- ↑ https://geneswellness.com/baby-eye-color-calculator/
- ↑ https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/heterozygous-homozygous-genetic-test
- ↑ http://www.babymed.com/tools/baby-eye-color-calculator-predictor
- ↑ http://www.babymed.com/tools/baby-eye-color-calculator-predictor
- ↑ https://geneswellness.com/baby-eye-color-calculator/
About This Article
Article Summary
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While there’s no definite way to predict your baby’s eye color, there are some ways to take an educated guess, like looking at the parents’ eye color. Babies inherit genes from both their mother and father, so noting their eye color will give you a good start, but for a more accurate guess, you’ll also want to take into account the eye color of all 4 grandparents. If the parents have siblings, you can also look at their eye color. When siblings have different eye colors, it can indicate that the parents carry 2 different genes for eye color instead of 2 copies of the same gene. Once you’ve gathered everyone’s eye color, you can use an online calculator to do the biology and math for you. These programs will analyze the data and tell you the likelihood of each eye color. To learn how to use a Punnett Square to predict eye color, keep reading!
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