Woman gazes at world through one blue eye and one brown

KAHRAMANMARAS, TÜRKİYE - RECENT, AUG. 2024: A woman with mismatched eyes—one blue and one brown—captivates everyone she meets, challenging perceptions and sparking curiosity wherever she goes. Nurhayat Hayta, 34, is living in southern Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province and works as a waitress at a cafe. "Are you wearing lenses?" most customers ask her, she shares, mentioning that many people around her are surprised to see her two differently-colored eyes. She was born with 'heterochromia' - a condition when one of the irises is a different color than the other. It is often caused by genes passed down from the parents or grandparents. Rarely, it can be a symptom of a medical condition. In her case, it seems to be genetics as both her uncle and grandmother have differently-colored eyes. Heterochromia is common in some animals but rare in humans. 'Van cats', endemic to Türkiye's Van province, for instance are famed for the color of their eyes - one blue eye and one eye either green, amber, or brown. "People sometimes ask if I am from Van province," the young woman laughs, sharing how others often compare her to those unique cats. Reporting by Gokhan Cali // Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan (Footage by Gokhan Cali /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)