The eyes are often said to be the windows to the soul. However, what the popular saying doesn’t clarify is that if you’re unhappy with the “windows” you’ve been given, you can consult a specialist to change them. Don’t like your brown eyes? No problem–you can opt for green or gray. Want stunning aquamarine blue eyes but were born with brown ones, the color shared by 55 to 79% of humanity? Likewise, it just takes saving up enough money and undergoing a procedure.
While it may sound like science fiction, some Americans are indeed changing the color of their eyes artificially. It doesn’t come cheap: The cost can exceed $10,000.
Don’t like your eye color? Change it. This might not raise many eyebrows when it comes to hair, nails, and even skin on the arms, legs, or torso, especially with the rise of blackout tattoos. However, in this post, we’re discussing a different kind of change: altering your eye color.
Much like people visit hair salons to transform their brown hair into platinum blonde or shades of red, an increasing number of individuals are turning to specialized clinics to modify their corneas by injecting them with a special pigment. Unlike hair color changes, though, this alteration is irreversible.
Keratopigmentation. This procedure allows you to change the color of your eyes. It’s not a new practice, and it’s also not just a way for beauty clinics to make money. Overall, keratopigmentation involves using a laser to alter the cornea (the transparent membrane beneath the iris) and injecting it with a colored pigment. As such, this process is often referred to as “eyeball tattooing.”
After the procedure, the pigment stains the transparent cornea, effectively covering the natural color of the iris. While keratopigmentation is primarily used for aesthetic reasons, it also has therapeutic applications.
For example, the technique is used in a more limited capacity for patients with minor iris defects that cause issues like double vision or photophobia. Additionally, it can be used for cosmetic purposes in individuals with opaque corneas or amaurotic eyes.
Not suitable for all budgets. Not everyone is willing to undergo a procedure that involves manipulating their corneas with lasers and pigments for beauty reasons. Additionally, the cost of the operation can be quite high. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that in New York, the price for this kind of surgery can reach up to $12,000.
Moreover, while keratopigmentation may currently be a minority practice, its popularity is on the rise. According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2019, the first ophthalmologist in the U.S. to offer cosmetic keratopigmentation opened a clinic in Manhattan. Initially, he treated only about 15 patients in his first year, but he’s projected to operate on around 400 patients this year.
Why do people choose to change their eye color? The answers are as diverse as the individuals themselves, but a common theme often emerges: dissatisfaction with their natural eye color. Jason Jimenez, a real estate agent who recently had his eye color changed, told the outlet, “I see it as an enhancement. People get their teeth done, they get implants and Botox. If it’s something that could make you happier, make you look better–then why not?” He went to the clinic with brown irises and left with a light grayish hue.
The Wall Street Journal also shared the story of another young man who requested to have one of his eyes tinted, resulting in one brown eye and one blue. His motivation? He wanted to emulate the heterochromia of his Siberian husky. Similarly, Lucia Inman-Valero, a 36-year-old artist, sought aquamarine-colored eyes to stand out. “I don’t want them to look natural,” she said. Last year, she visited Movshovich’s clinic twice to have her eyes pigmented.
Not just “eyeball tattooing.” Keratopigmentation is just one option for those, like Jimenez and Inman-Valero, who want a dramatic change in appearance. Another relatively common procedure is laser depigmentation, which uses lasers to remove the pigment from the iris, resulting in a bluish hue.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) points out another technique involving iris implants. This procedure is approved by the FDA and is intended for patients who are missing part or all of their eye’s membranous disc due to injury or congenital defects. It differs significantly from other procedures. The surgeon makes a small opening at the edge of the cornea and inserts an artificial iris that unfolds within the eye, covering the original color.
Are these procedures safe? That’s the million-dollar question. The Wall Street Journal quotes a doctor who started performing cosmetic keratopigmentation in Los Angeles earlier this year. He claims there’ve been no reports of infections or vision loss among patients who hadn’t previously undergone Lasik eye surgery. However, the AAO has raised concerns about the risks associated with these types of interventions, whether they involve lasers or iris implants.
According to the AAO, keratopigmentation carries risks that may be acceptable for patients with vision problems, but a critical question remains: Is it worthwhile for individuals with good eyesight to undergo these kinds of procedures solely for aesthetic reasons? “Don’t think that these surgeries carry no risk,” JoAnn Giaconi, a clinical spokesperson for the AAO, says. “No surgery is free of risk. With purely cosmetic surgeries on the eye, it’s just not worth the risk when it comes to your good vision.”
Serious side-effects. In a recent paper, expert Richard Zegers points out some of the complications of keratopigmentation, including “corneal perforation, bacterial infection, allergic or toxic reaction to pigment, migration of pigment, and functional complications like visual field limitation and light sensitivity.” The evidence suggests that keratopigmentation shouldn’t be considered a safe technique for purely aesthetic purposes.
Ophthalmologists have also raised concerns about peripheral loss of the visual field, the challenges of conducting thorough eye examinations, and issues that pigment changes may cause as patients age. For instance, if a patient requires cataract surgery, retinal surgery, or any other intraocular procedure, the performing doctor may struggle to identify ocular structures, considerably increasing the intervention’s risks and complications.
Bottom line. Experts discourage the use of lasers and pigments for color changes, reminding patients that there’s not enough scientific evidence to support the safety and efficacy of these procedures. Moreover, the results can also appear artificial, given that the tinted color lacks sufficient depth inside the eye, resulting in a sensation similar to that of colored contact lenses.
The OAA has published a list of potential risks and complications associated with both keratopigmentation and iris implants, echoing these concerns. In the case of cosmetic iris implant surgeries, potential dangers include vision loss, blindness, light sensitivity, glaucoma, corneal damage, and cataracts. For keratopigmentation, risks include light sensitivity, uveitis, infections, and unsatisfactory results such as leakage of the dye, uneven distribution of color, and color fading.
Image | Amanda Dalbjörn | Tao Yuan
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