Cosmetic surgery is booming and now affects many areas, including eye color. A new phenomenon flooding social networks has emerged in recent years: changing eye color through surgery. It's a trend that attracts people who want to change their appearance for aesthetic reasons, but which involves serious risks to visual health.
Find out about the dangers of eye color surgery, the risks to eye health, alternatives and advice from our experts.
Changing eye color: how does it work?
Several surgical methods are now available to change eye color:
- Colored iris implant: this technique involves inserting a silicone implant into the eye to cover the iris and modify its color. Initially designed to treat pathologies such as congenital anhydria (absence of iris), this procedure is now being hijacked for aesthetic purposes.
- Laser depigmentation: another method uses a laser to remove pigment from the iris, transforming a darker color (brown, hazel) into a lighter one (blue, green).
Eye health hazards
Despite its aesthetic appeal, changing eye color through surgery presents a number of risks, some of them serious and irreversible. Here are the main dangers associated with these procedures:
- Loss of vision: iris implants can cause severe damage to the internal structures of the eye, resulting in partial or total loss of vision. In some cases, complications are so severe that the eye may need to be removed.
- Increased risk of glaucoma: iris implants can disrupt the circulation of fluid in the eye, resulting in elevated intraocular pressure and a greatly increased risk of glaucoma. If not treated in time, glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness.
- Inflammation and infection: as with any surgical procedure, there is a risk of infection. In the case of the eyes, infection can rapidly spread, causing severe inflammation (uveitis) or keratitis, leading to pain and irreversible scarring.
- Corneal decompensation: this risk results in damage to the cornea, making corneal transplantation necessary. This type of operation requires an organ donation to replace the damaged cornea and restore vision.
- Early cataract formation: early cataracts require surgical intervention.
- Irreversible damage to the iridocorneal angle: this can lead to glaucoma, which causes progressive and irreversible vision loss if left untreated.
Changing eye color: is there an alternative?
For those who dream of a different-colored look without risking their visual health, colored contact lenses represent a less risky alternative for your eyesight, provided you strictly adhere to good hygiene practices and only use them occasionally.
It is possible to find contact lenses that perfectly imitate another iris shade. However, it's essential to consult an ophthalmologist before wearing colored lenses, to make sure they're suitable for your eyes and to avoid any risk of infection or irritation.
What do the experts say?
The medical community, and ophthalmologists in particular, strongly advise against these procedures for purely aesthetic reasons. In addition to the potential complications mentioned, these techniques have often not been sufficiently studied over the long term. Some clinics performing these procedures do not always comply with international safety standards.
The Centre Nord Vaudois d’Ophtalmologie (CNVO) encourages its patients to prioritize their eye health above all aesthetic considerations. Eye health is precious, and such procedures, unregulated in many countries, can have serious and irreversible consequences. Never jeopardize your visual health for an aesthetic modification.
