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Learn · Variants · HERC2/OCA2

rs12913832 HERC2/OCA2

Likely blue or light-colored eyes. Strongest single predictor of blue eye color.

Curated · human-reviewed Trait · Risk / effect allele: G · dbSNP

What is rs12913832?

rs12913832 is a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the HERC2/OCA2 gene (HERC2 / OCA2 (eye colour locus)). Each person carries two copies, one from each parent, so a result is reported as a pair of letters such as GG. The table below describes what studies associate with each genotype; the association is statistical, across populations, and is not a diagnosis.

What does each rs12913832 genotype mean?

GenotypeAssociationWhat the evidence saysConfidence
GGtypical / lowerLikely blue or light-colored eyes. Strongest single predictor of blue eye color.90%
GA / AGtypical / lowerVariable eye color; may be green, hazel, or light brown.72%
AAtypical / lowerLikely brown eyes.90%

How common is the G allele of rs12913832?

Minor-allele frequency by population (gnomAD / 1000 Genomes):

European50.0%
East Asian1.0%
African1.0%
South Asian5.0%
Admixed American20.0%
Global18.0%

Is rs12913832 on 23andMe and AncestryDNA chips?

Yes — it is genotyped directly on 23andMe V3, 23andMe V4, 23andMe V5, AncestryDNA V1, AncestryDNA V2. Orviva reads it from a raw-data export without imputation.

Sources

Genetic associations describe risk across populations, not a diagnosis for any one person. Most variants shift risk modestly and act alongside lifestyle, environment and other genes. Consumer DNA chips do not read every position and can be wrong at any single one. For general education only; talk to a clinician or genetic counsellor before acting on anything here, and never change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.