Central heterochromia vs hazel eyes

Central heterochromia shows a distinct, often sharply-edged ring of colour around the pupil against a differently-coloured outer iris; hazel shows a more blended, gradual mix of tones without a sharply defined ring.

Typical distribution

Central heterochromia's colour change is concentrated in a ring near the pupil; hazel's colour variation is usually spread more broadly across the iris.

Undertone

Both commonly mix warm and cool tones, but the key visual difference is the sharpness of the boundary, not the undertones themselves.

Central or outer ring

This is the defining distinction: a sharp, well-defined ring points toward central heterochromia; a soft, gradual blend points toward ordinary hazel variation.

Lighting effects

Both can look more or less pronounced depending on pupil size and lighting, since pupil dilation changes how much of the ring or blended zone is visible.