What Color Eyes Do Vampires Have?

The eyes are said to be windows to the soul, and in vampire lore, a vampire‘s eye color offers deep insight into their nature and origins. But what colors can vampire eyes be, and what do these strange hues signify? From the coal-black stare of a blood-starved predator to the molten gold gaze of a "vegetarian" vampire, fictional vampires display a stunning array of irises.

Typical Vampire Eye Colors

While vampire eye colors vary by cultural lore and fictional universe, some colors show up repeatedly across vampire literature, film and television:

Red – Often depicted in newly turned vampires or those that feed on human blood. Red eyes represent the blood they consume and their unholy state.
Black – Darkened eyes indicate a vampire is thirsty, evil, or overwhelmed by bloodlust. As thirst increases, eyes grow darker.
Gold/Yellow – Vampires who feed only on animal blood develop golden, amber or yellow eyes. This distinguishes their "vegetarian" diet.
Natural eye colors – Not all vampires have unnatural eyes. Some retain their original human eye color, like blue, brown, green, etc.

According to Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, the Count has striking "vampire blue" eyes, while Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight series describes golden-eyed "vegetarian" vampires. Charlaine Harris‘ Southern Vampire Mysteries sees vampires keep their natural eye color.

The Meaning of Vampire Eye Colors

Beyond simple aesthetics, the color of a vampire‘s eyes holds crucial symbolic meaning:

Red eyes – Indicate a vampire feeds on human blood. The red signifies the blood they have consumed and represents the violent, predatory nature of their immortal existence.
Black eyes – The darker a vampire‘s eyes become, the thirstier and more overwhelmed by bloodlust they are. Black eyes may also indicate an ancient, powerful vampire or one shrouded in evil.
Gold/yellow eyes – Golden or amber eyes reveal a vampire drinks only animal rather than human blood. Their peculiar diet sets them apart, giving them an aura of civility and restraint.
Natural eye colors – Vampires whose eyes stay their original human color are often portrayed as more reserved and clinging to their lost humanity, neither demonic nor angelic.

"His eyes were…golden butterscotch. I couldn‘t imagine how that could be possible" describes Edward Cullen‘s golden eyes indicating his animal blood diet in Twilight.

Examples of Famous Vampires & Their Eye Colors

Count Dracula – Described with icy blue eyes in Bram Stoker‘s novel Dracula. His vampire eyes match his noble, human origins before turning.
**Edward Cullen (Twilight) – Topaz gold eyes due to feeding only on animal blood. They turn coal black when he experiences severe bloodlust.
Bella Swan (Twilight) – Her eyes shift from vivid red to amber gold after her vampire transformation as she adopts the Cullens‘ animal blood diet.
Damon and Stefan Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries) – Both brothers retain their natural blue/green eye colors rather than adopting vampire traits.
Bill Compton (True Blood) – Bill‘s eyes are a piercing blue both as a human and after becoming a vampire. He drinks only synthetic blood.
Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview with the Vampire) – Described in the novel with "hypnotic green eyes" retaining his human eye color after turning.

Vampire Eye Color Symbolism in Different Fictional Universes

In Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, the Count has bright blue eyes, with all vampires keeping their natural human eye colors.
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice also have vampires retain the eye color they had when they were alive. Color changes are seen as out of the norm.
The Twilight Saga firmly establishes the black/red/gold color scheme. Newborn Bella has glaring red eyes until she adapts to the Cullens‘ unusual vegetarian diet.
In The Vampire Diaries and True Blood, vampires are described keeping their natural eye colors rather than gaining red or gold hues.
Underworld uses contacts so vampires have unnatural electric blue eyes while werewolves have black eyes with blue corneas.

Real-Life Causes of Red & Pink Eyes

So do vampires with blood red eyes have any basis in reality? There are two medical causes of red or pink eyes in humans:

Albinism – Albinism prevents the body from making melanin pigment causing extremely pale skin and hair. Different types of albinism can make the eyes appear red or pinkish due to blood vessels showing through the iris.

Blood leakage – Damage to capillaries in the eye allow blood to seep into the iris, causing red blotches and discoloration. This can result from injury, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

While vampiric fiction pulls heavily from folklore and superstition, the red eyes of newly fed vampires likely have roots in these real medical conditions that can make eyes appear blood red.

Bioluminescent Eyeshine in Animals

Another influence on the glowing vampire eyes of Dracula and other bloodsuckers may be eyeshine, a phenomenon seen in nocturnal animals like cats, dogs, deer, and possums.

Eyeshine occurs thanks to an organ called the tapetum lucidum. Located behind the retina, the tapetum acts as a mirror to reflect light back through the retina, allowing the animal to see significantly better in darkness.

This layer causes animal eyes to glow or flash in the dark when light hits them. Asprimitive human ancestors were likely prey for big cats and other animals with predatory, glowing nocturnal eyes, an innate fear and association of glowing eyes with danger may have influenced myths about vampires with shining eyes.

So while vampires are fictional, the myths seem to have origins in both real medical conditions and bioluminescent adaptations that occur in the natural world.

Vampire Physiology & Circulation Explains Eye Color

To dig into the science behind vampire eye color, we need to understand some basics about how vampiric physiology is said to differ from humans:

Vampires‘ hearts do not beat. While they have working organs, their bodies function without circulating blood actively by pulse or heartbeat.
Blood flows based on a vampire‘s will. They can animate their veins and direct blood as needed rather than relying on a beating heart.
Their blood never leaves the body. Vampires do not bleed except when regenerating from major trauma. Consumed blood is somehow incorporated into their system.
Vampires produce tears. Despite having little internal water, vampires cry reddish or black blood-like tears.

Given this, a vampire‘s eye color depends primarily on the blood they have recently consumed and can circulate within their eyes on command.

After feeding on human blood, vampires send that blood to their eyes, turning the irises a gory red. Animal blood, low blood volume, or a vegetarian diet results in subtler golds and yellows. Irises then return to their default color if blood flow stops.

Conclusion: The Eyes Have It

In the end, the meaning behind a vampire‘s eye color choice comes down to metaphor, symbolism, and what traits the writer aims to convey.

Red eyes are primal, savage, and frightening, harkening to our instinctual fear of glowing predator eyes at night. Black signifies evil and soullessness. Gold indicates a gentler, more restrained nature.

By shedding human features like eye color, vampires visually portray their inhumanity. Yet when they retain their living eye colors, they hold onto a crucial piece of their lost humanity and mortal soul.

So while vampires themselves are the stuff of myth, the symbolism and themes their eye colors represent reflect very real parts of the human experience – our animal instincts, our desires, and our relationship with our own mortality.