What was Up with David Bowie's Left Eye?

TL;DR

David Bowie's eyes appeared to have different colors, but they were actually both light blue due to a condition called anisocoria.

Transcript

David Bowie was a man who reinvented himself countless times throughout his roughly half-century long career; one thing that remained constant about Bowie’s appearance, though, were his eyes. For anyone who doesn’t have Bowie’s likeness burned into their consciousness, the musician famously had one brown eye and one blue eye. Or at least, it looked... Read More

Key Insights

• 😃 David Bowie had anisocoria, a condition where the pupils are unequally dilated, making his eyes appear different colors.
• 💁 An estimated 20% of people have some form of anisocoria, but it is usually not as pronounced as Bowie's case.
• 😃 Bowie's anisocoria was caused by a childhood injury during a fistfight, which damaged the muscle in his left eye.
• 📸 Bowie's eyes appeared different in photos due to high contrast, flash, and lighting effects.
• 😩 Rumors that Bowie had heterochromia or wore different colored contact lenses were false.
• 🤩 Bowie embraced his eye condition, as it added to his image and mystique as a rock star.
• ❓ Bowie forgave his friend who caused the injury and they remained lifelong friends.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• David Bowie had anisocoria, a condition where the pupils are unequally dilated, causing his eyes to appear different colors.

• An estimated 20% of people have anisocoria, but it is usually harmless.

• Bowie's anisocoria was a result of a fistfight in his youth that damaged the muscle in his left eye.