WebMD 1:01: Why Do Most Babies Start Out with Blue Eyes?

Ever wonder why so many newborns have blue eyes?

It seems a little unfair. The ladies love blue eyes, and babies already have a cuteness advantage.

You're jealous of babies?

What? Am not. Waah. OK, fine. All right, let's just find out why little babies have blue eyes.

The iris is the muscular ring around the pupil. And its color depends on a protein called melanin and special cells called melanocytes that secrete melanin. When the iris doesn't have a lot of melanin in it, the eye will be blue.

But if melanocytes secrete more melanin, then the iris get darker, making be eyes hazel, green, or brown.

Now let's go back to babies.

Of course. It's always about the babies.

Since melanocytes respond to light and babies are in the comfort and darkness of the womb, they have little melanin, and therefore mostly blue eyes when they're born.

[BABY COOING]

But after the first year, eye color is mostly set. And only one in six Caucasians will keep their cute baby blues, which I guess is good news for you.

But then they'll just do something else cute. I just can't compete with a baby.

Well, but you act like one. That's good.

Yeah, right. You act like a baby.