Human Biology 1010 (Spring 2012)

Eye Colors as Predictors for Potential Skin Diseases
Studies have shown that those with blue eyes were less likely to develop vitilgo,  is an autoimmune disease where a person's immune system attacks normal pigment cells, causing irregular white patches of skin and hair. However, those with brown eyes were found more likely to develop vitilgo. Eye color might give insight to more serious skin diseases such as melanoma since both diseases are related genetically.  In the study, published in Nature Genetics, researchers looked at the genes associated with vitiligo in 450 people with the skin disease and at a comparison group of nearly 3,200 Americans of non-Hispanic European ancestry.
The analysis identified 13 new genes that predispose people to vitiligo.The results also showed that a lower percentage of people with blue or gray eyes and a higher percentage of people with brown eyes had vitiligo than would be expected with the normal distribution of eye colors. Researchers will focus the study on the genetics related to Vitilgo and other skin diseases.
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20120507/eye-color-linked-to-skin-diseases