Primary regulator
rs12913832 sits in a HERC2 enhancer that regulates OCA2 expression. It carries most of the panel’s blue-versus-brown information.
Free calculator · pigmentation
Eye colour calculator from raw DNA.
Read the six established eye-colour markers used by the IrisPlex panel, with a conservative result that keeps intermediate colours and missing data visible.
Can raw DNA predict eye colour?
It can distinguish many blue/light and brown/dark profiles, but green, hazel, grey, and mixed pigmentation are harder. This calculator treats HERC2 rs12913832 as the primary signal and uses five additional pigmentation markers as context; it does not claim to reproduce the official IrisPlex probability model.
Run the eye colour check
Choose the unmodified raw export from your provider. Only the listed marker calls are interpreted.
Supports 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FTDNA, MyHeritage, and Living DNA autosomal exports.
Drop your raw DNA file here
or.txt, .csv, .tsv, .zip, .gz · 30 MB max
What this calculator does—and does not do.
Eye colour is polygenic. The six-locus panel is well established for separating blue and brown eyes, while intermediate categories remain its weak point.
Five modifiers
OCA2, SLC24A4, SLC45A2, TYR, and IRF4 variants add pigmentation context. None should be interpreted alone.
Conservative reporting
The result names an associated profile. Heterozygous and intermediate patterns remain broad rather than being forced into a colour.
Limitations
Where the model stops.
- Intermediate eye colours are substantially harder to predict than blue or brown.
- The original panel was developed largely from European datasets, so performance can vary among populations.
- Age, lighting, iris structure, and untested variants are not represented in a raw SNP file.
Primary evidence
Research behind the panel.
- Official HIrisPlex-S systemErasmus MC forensic DNA phenotyping tool
- IrisPlex developmentWalsh et al., Forensic Science International: Genetics (2011)
- Independent validationWalsh et al., Forensic Science International: Genetics (2014)
Frequently asked.
Is this the official IrisPlex calculator?
No. It reads the same six marker positions but provides a transparent association profile rather than reproducing the official model’s probability output.
Why can my actual eye colour differ?
Eye colour is continuous and polygenic. The panel captures major signals, not every rare variant or the full spectrum of green, hazel, grey, and mixed irises.
What if rs12913832 is missing?
The calculator returns no reliable result because the five secondary markers should not substitute for the panel’s main regulator.
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