'NCIS:Los Angeles' Star Daniela Ruah Has a Birthmark in Her Right Eye
Published Nov. 20 2022, 1:43 p.m. ET
Since 2009, Daniela Ruah has been portraying Special Agent Kensi Blye in the CBS series, NCIS: Los Angeles. The American and Portuguese actress has been a fan-favorite since her debut on the show, however, from time to time viewers get curious about her right eye.
"I like Daniela Ruah’s eye thing. Cool birthmark," one person tweeted before another added, "She has one brown eye, and one black eye."
So, what causes Daniela's eye birthmark? Keep reading to find out.
Daniela Ruah has an eye condition known as the nevus of Ota.
Back in 2011, Daniela spoke to Esquire about her eye condition, joking that it was caused by a childhood accident before opening up about the real cause.
"It's a birthmark called nevus of Ota. It covers the whole white of my eye and darkens it," she explained. "The square of the eye, the white part, is completely dark on my right eye, not just the iris. It's very common in Asian people but quite rare in Caucasians. It doesn't affect my vision or anything like that."
According to Daniela, her birthmark has not affected her career.
"It starts the conversation, if anything. But I don't think it's ever gotten me a job or lost me a job," she added. "When we're shooting, sometimes they need to light my eye in a slightly different way. Otherwise, it looks like there's a big shadow over it. But that's pretty much it."
The nevus of Ota has no known cause.
The nevus of Ota, also known as oculodermal melanocytosis, is described as a condition where hyperpigmentation occurs around the eye and sometimes in the eye itself.
However, the exact cause of the condition is unknown, per WebMD. People with nevus of Ota have an increased risk of glaucoma and the condition may also lead to skin cancer, although rare.
For Daniela, her birthmark is her trademark and she hates when it is Photoshopped. "It drives me crazy," she said. "This is my eye, my little trademark."
And fans agree. "So sad to see someone edit Daniela Ruah's eye to hide her 'nervus of ota' condition, like why do that? She's beautiful as she is," one person wrote.
We couldn't agree more!
Watch Daniela and her beautiful eyes on NCIS: LA every Sunday at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.