Eyes Turn Blue Before Death

I am not sure if this is the right forum, but I can find precious little serious medical studies on this, so I will place it here.

My mother is in Hospice. Some here already know this. The end is measured in days not weeks. I do just want to look at this phenomena in this thread.

My mother has always had brown eyes, at times bown with a slight hazel tinge. Her hair is naturally dark brown.

When I first entered her hospice room, it is 3 days ago I think. I am not keeping track of days very well. She was still sort of responsive. She opened her eyes, she said my name multiple times. Her speech was not very coherent. Though the rooms there have very high ceilings, there were other family members there, and when I have extreme anxiety, I tend to have difficulty with other than loud, clear speech.

I bent over her bed and held her hand.

The first thing I noticed, looking into her eyes, is that she looked scared. Actually terrified. As I focused on what she was saying, I could make out my name and that she wanted to 'go to her housy house'. That was the goal. That the hospice near her home stabilize her and then she go home to die there. We are not thinking that will happen. Though, if she is going to die, and family is quite willing to put the hospital bed in the living room and aides can give morphine, I am not quite sure, still, why not.

The point of this thread, though. Is what I missed right off. Her eyes had turned blue. A light periwinkle blue, I think It is called.

I knew her eye color had changed. I said to her "your eyes look beautiful". Oddly it did not occur to me to say something to anyone else.

I didn't think about it until I got home.


I can find no professional medical studies or opinions on this.

I did find discussion board after discussion board of people stating that in hospice, their mother, father, husband, aunt, grandmother's...eyes had changed from bromwn to blue if they were not blue before.

I did see a discussion board post somewhere, that I cannot find now, where someone stated it is 'due to lack of bloodflow to the eye, similar to newborn babies who's eye color changes." I don't buy that, my mother's bloodflow to her head is fine. It is below her chest where the blood flow is failing. Her body beyond that is often freezing cold. Sometimes warm, but with the toes being ice cold.

Hospice care/Eye color change at death

I have seen articles about eye color changing in the elderly, but she is 63. Her eyes were dark brown 2 weeks ago.

Has anyone else had this experience?

a reply to: reldra

My father was about 80 and he had cancer and pitiryisus rubra pilaris at the same time. He was on weird meds and for around 4 months his eyes were a bright steel blue. He normally has dark brown eyes. It was strange, I attribute it to the chemo and prp meds. Oddly enough, he is 84 now and after 4 bouts with cancer is in remission. But he was a mess physically and his eyes changed from dark brown to blue to brown. In you mothers case, maybe it's the medication?

Cheers - Dave

My Mom's eyes were blue to begin with, so I can't help you there. My heart breaks for you honey. I lost my own Mother in October. I'll pray for her to pass peacefully. It really got to me when you said your Mom looked so scared, terrified.

How are you handling things?

a reply to: reldra

I'll take your word for it even if it's a new one on me - changing eye colours. There doesn't seem to be a decent example or explanation for this so who knows? This article says no, it doesn't happen. There are minor changes, but nothing as dramatic as brown turning to blue.

Eye colour is all about pigments and these aren't affected by blood flow. Perhaps medication? I dunno how that could work either. No idea.

Whatever the case, I hope you and your family find what it takes to get through this time and find your peace.

THIS



is periwinkle blue. This is 100% different from brown or hazel/bromwn.

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

She had no chemo or any real odd meds. Her eyes were brown, as I recall now, when she went into the hospital, the 24th. She dioesn;t have cancer.

originally posted by: Night Star
My Mom's eyes were blue to begin with, so I can't help you there. My heart breaks for you honey. I lost my own Mother in October. I'll pray for her to pass peacefully. It really got to me when you said your Mom looked so scared, terrified.

How are you handling things?

TY Night. I will let you know when I handle. I was talking to Tech on skype from the hospice today. He is a help he probably doesn;t realize. That was a help, a reach out of a quiet, flowery, place where my mom is non responsive that doesn't seem quite real.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: reldra

I'll take your word for it even if it's a new one on me - changing eye colours. There doesn't seem to be a decent example or explanation for this so who knows? This article says no, it doesn't happen. There are minor changes, but nothing as dramatic as brown turning to blue.

Eye colour is all about pigments and these aren't affected by blood flow. Perhaps medication? I dunno how that could work either. No idea.

Whatever the case, I hope you and your family find what it takes to get through this time and find your peace.

Her meds have been reduced to dilaudid, haldol and a common dieuretic. She used to be on about 15 meds. The point is just to keep her comfortable now.

ty Kadinsky

a reply to: reldra

I don't know why this happens and I've never experienced it. I do know that blue eyes are blue from lack of pigment rather than actually containing blue pigment. So, I would think that for some reason her eyes lost their pigment. Still, I don't know why.

Or maybe something is causing cloudiness in her eyes? Maybe in the lenses? I don't know how fast cataracts could do this.

Those are just a couple of ideas.

a reply to: reldra

I've seen many people pass in the past 5 years...

I've never seen anything like this happen or heard of it

Though anything is possible

Very sorry to hear of your situation... But honeslty most times, if not every time its necessary

There is a much better place then this

originally posted by: paperdoll
a reply to: reldra

I don't know why this happens and I've never experienced it. I do know that blue eyes are blue from lack of pigment rather than actually containing blue pigment. So, I would think that for some reason her eyes lost their pigment. Still, I don't know why.

Or maybe something is causing cloudiness in her eyes? Maybe in the lenses? I don't know how fast cataracts could do this.

Those are just a couple of ideas.

Ty. But not cloudy. Never had cataracts.

a reply to: reldra

No, it doesn't seem real. I know. I'll be here when you need me. Just wanted you to know.

a reply to: reldra

I've never heard of this, though after staying awake for several days for various reasons my eye's turned neon yellow like something out of a horror movie, however I have gold in my eye already. I'm sorry you and her are going through this and i'm glad she has you, you're a great person.

a reply to: reldra

Very sorry to hear about your Mum...stay strong. I would suggest you talk about your concerns for your Mum with her doctor when you next visit her... all the best.

a reply to: reldra
Sorry your mom is in such a bad way. I hope the end is painless and peaceful.

a reply to: reldra

Any damage to the eye can cause a color change. Lack of oxygen to the iris tear production decreased. If thr iris changes color something is blockin the production of malinin. Can be multiple things even nerve damage people going through chemo and radiation therapy. And even can be caused by the use of eye drops that damage the iris. Without knowing her medical condition it's impossible to say what could have caused it. But it all relates back to the production of malinin.

Fro the link in my OP, many were ill for some time before hand, were in a hospice. Their eyes changed from brown to blue or brown to gray. This is one odd one:

From a nurse:

Patrice wrote at 2010-12-18 06:35:49Hi Christine,I am an experienced R.N. and nursing instructor, and I must say that I had never seen or heard of eye color changes in dying patients until I saw it in my brother. I thought this to be peculiar so I started researching why his eyes had changed from dark brown to bluish-gray several days before he passed. I still have not found an answer.

another nurse:

Christina wrote at 2012-11-09 05:48:30Im a nurse and have witnessed many deaths and have never seen this eye color change. My father battled some serious illnesses and each time we thought we were going to loose him we noticed his eye color change from brown to a beautiful light blue as he got better his eye color would return to brown. After several months of illness he went on hospice and again we saw his brown eyes turn to the most beautiful light blue it made me feel like i was looking into the eyes of Jesus Christ. Whatever the cause of this is it truely has brought me peace.

A hospice worker:

Framma wrote at 2014-03-20 02:52:02I'm a hospice social worker - have been for over 20 years - and I have heard of this occurring on at least 4 occasions. I don't know why it happens, but I have no doubt that it does.

My mother has had chroinic health problems, but her death will be due to sceptic pneumonia. I am thinking it ends in asphyxia , but after slipping into a coma. I certainly hope so, anyway. I can't find any reason for the eye color change.

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: reldra

I've never heard of this, though after staying awake for several days for various reasons my eye's turned neon yellow like something out of a horror movie, however I have gold in my eye already. I'm sorry you and her are going through this and i'm glad she has you, you're a great person.

Don;t ever let that happen if you are in my presence, lol.

originally posted by: tommo39
a reply to: reldra

Very sorry to hear about your Mum...stay strong. I would suggest you talk about your concerns for your Mum with her doctor when you next visit her... all the best.

There are no more doctor visits, until the end.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: reldra
Sorry your mom is in such a bad way. I hope the end is painless and peaceful.

Ty so much Skid Mark.