David bowie eyes condition

Thousands of fans have paid tribute to David Bowie following his death from cancer aged While he was undoubtedly one of the most influential musicians of his time - his latest album Blackstar was released just last week - he was also a style icon. But aside from his flamboyant outfits, he also had a unique feature which he said gave him 'mystique'.

His eyes , which appeared to be different colours, were difficult not to notice. Bowie had a condition called anisocoria - which meant his pupils were different sizes. This gave the illusion of a difference in colour, explains Kevin Hunt, senior lecturer in design and visual culture at Nottingham Trent University,. Here, writing for The Conversation , he explains what anisocoria is, and tells the remarkable story of how Bowie came to have it David Bowie died in New York yesterday after an month battle with cancer.

David bowie before eye injury

Aside from his flamboyant taste in fashion, he had particularly distinctive eyes. The unusual appearance of Bowie's eyes were due to a condition called anisocoria. Many aspects of the life and incredible achievements of David Bowie will be considered in the weeks and months ahead following the news of his death. Yet the cryptic lyric above from the lead single on David Bowie's new album is a reminder that the unusual appearance of his eyes was a key part of the singer's star persona.

For many people it is that look — that the eyes formed a core part of — that will be an abiding memory of Bowie. So, why were they apparently two different colours? Complete heterochromia is a fairly rare condition in humans whereby each iris is a distinctly different colour, such as having one blue iris and the other brown. But this isn't why Bowie's eyes looked different.

Instead, the unusual appearance of Bowie's eyes were due to a condition called anisocoria.