What causes brown discoloration around the whites of the eyes?

Question

I've noticed with some people, and even with dogs that outside of the iris, a brown colors appears that almost seems to bleed away from the iris onto the whites of the eyes. Is this common to a certain ethnicity? And what exactly is it?

Answer 1

It is just superficial pigment on the sclera -- like freckles.

It is most common in people with olive, brown or black skin and  brown eyes.