Babies' eye color typically stops changing and settles into its final color around 6 to 12 months of age. However, subtle changes can continue for several years, sometimes up to 3 to 6 years old, though substantial changes after the first year are rare. The final eye color depends on the amount of pigment (melanin) produced in the iris, which increases with exposure to light during the first year of life. Generally, babies born with blue eyes may see their eye color darken to green, hazel, or brown, while babies born with brown eyes usually keep the brown color. Some subtle shifts even into early childhood are more noticeable in lighter-colored eyes, especially in Caucasian children.