If eyes can't actually change color, how can someone's eyes appear green, blue, or even grey on any given day?

I have hazel eyes. It does that for me. Depends on what I wear.

While I haven’t looked for a source, my guess would be that irises are made up of a combination of colors, and so the appearance can be affected by light levels, light direction, surrounding colors, etc.

Reflected light.or they are an evil demon

He/she owns a palette of colored contacts!

@ZEPHYRA: I’m actually referring to my eyes. I was going to answer another question about eye and hair color, but I realized I don’t really know what color my eyes are. My eyes are listed as blue, but they often appear green, and I have a gold/hazel ring around my pupil.

I looked up “hazel” eyes, and wiki says the iris can appear anywhere from brown to green. My eyes never look brown, but often look aqua (more green) or grey, and they’re never that super bright blue color, but still blue.. kind of a light slate blue.

@poofandmook -Go for the overall color.Mine have a green ring near the outer edge of the iris but are still mostly brown,so brown it is ;)

I agree with syz.

“appearance can be affected by light levels, light direction, surrounding colors, etc.”

My eyes look grey/blue (almost a slate color) normally, but, with certain lighting, or depending on what color(s) I’m wearing, my eyes look bright, clear blue.

@jjmah: That’s almost exactly how mine look, but every now and then they look green/aqua-ish. I’ve never caught them clear blue, but I’ve been told they were.

I guess I’ll go with blue.

My eyes are green. Sometimes the right one looks blue and the left looks like a golden color. I thought this was normal. Now you’re saying that it isn’t happening?

I’m jealous. I have hazel and can look from being anything to a caramel honey colored brown to gold to a light green with gold flecks.They’ll change color depending on the lighting and whatever I’m wearing.