NBA legend Michael Jordan sparked concern among fans by appearing to have yellow eyes during a public appearance this week.

Jordan appeared at a Monaco‘s Champions League clash with Barcelona during the week, and fans have been suggesting a number of possible ailments as the cause for his yellowing eyes.

Bhavin Shah, an optometrist based in London, has told the Daily Mail: “I can’t tell you for sure unless I examine him, but the most common reason is a natural pigmentation on the conjunctiva, the front surface of the eye, [which] can give a yellow appearance.”

Meanwhile, Los Angeles optometrist Dr Talin Amadian,concurs, adding in the same report: “There could be some kind of a pigmentation on the surface of the eye and its more prominent in individuals with darker skin.”

Those doctors may not be concerned, but Dr Joel Kopelman, a plastic surgeon in New York who often performs eye reconstruction surgeries, highlighted some of the more concerning causes, saying: “This is most commonly associated with liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, or bile duct obstructions.

“It’s possible that this yellowing could be linked to an issue with his liver’s ability to properly process bilirubin, but it could also be due to other factors like certain medications or blood disorders”

Time the obvious factor

With Jordan having been in the public eye for decades and with his yellowing eyes having been present for a number of years, even if it has been to a lesser degree, the period of time means some of the more serious causes are not likely.

Dr Amadian added: “This has been in the public eye since the 2000s. Anything of major concern that would cause this, there would be other things to follow. We can talk about gallstones, liver conditions, alcohol and the way that it’s processed.

“However, given it’s longstanding for this amount of time, and that he has the resources to deal with any medical condition, if it were a liver issue, it would have been treated by now.”