The white of my eyes is not white

There is a common perception that bright white eyes are the healthiest and best looking eyes.  While there are some unhealthy conditions that make the eyes look less white, yellowish looking and dull white looking eyes are not necessarily a sign of disease.  

The most common disease that cause yellow color on the white part of the eye is called jaundice.  Jaundice happens when broken down red blood cells accumulate in the body which is seen most commonly in liver disease and new born babies.  But, most times when we see people with yellowish looking eyes it is perfectly normal.  

Many people in the world have brown spots on their eyes.  Just like the brown color in our skin, we can have brown color in the white part of the eyes.  The brown spots are called ethnic melanosis and it is not a disease and it is normal.  The brown spots can be more prominent in people who have darker skin.  The spots can get larger over time so older adults may see their eye getting less white as they age.  It looks yellow from a distance as the brown spots mix with the white background.  

There are other conditions that are temporary and not dangerous and there area also other conditions that can be serious that make the eyes look darker.  So, definitely she your eye doctor to check if you notice a change in the color of your eyes.  

In general, though, there are many different appearances of the whites of the eyes that are healthy, normal and attractive and not all of them are bright white.  Ethnic melanosis is normal yellow of the eyes and should be appreciated.