The operation to change the eye color with which we were born is a surgical intervention that is becoming fashionable in our country and that, like all surgeries, is not without risk.
Showing off aesthetic touch-ups on social networks has become common: thread lifts, lip fillers, hyaluronic acid injections and rhinomodeling are something of a day to day in TikTok and Instagram. but the twist has arrived with the eye color change operation, an incipient intervention in our country that is not without risk and that has sparked controversy. It seems that the use of colored contact lenses to temporarily achieve a different shade is no longer enough, and there are always those who are willing to risk their health and those who agree to do so, leaving their professional ethics aside.
What methods exist to change the color of the eyes?
If at this moment we wanted to change the color of our eyes, we would basically find four ways to do it:
- pigmented contact lenses. We are referring to the classic contact lenses, and we can find them on the market in a wide range of colors. When using them we must follow basic hygiene rules, the same as for prescription contact lenses, and they are by far the least risky method. Of course, the color change will only last for the hours that we have the contact lens on. As soon as we remove it, we will see our eyes in their original color again.
- artificial irises. These are silicone pieces that are implanted intraocularly, inside the eye, through a complex surgery that is not without risk. If it gets complicated, we can end up suffering from an infection to glaucoma due to obstruction of the exit of the aqueous humor from the eye or even a corneal decompensation that can end in cataracts or having to need a transplant in the worst case.
- laser depigmentation. The iris is the colored part of the eye, and in this treatment what is sought is to irreversibly destroy iris tissue in order to eliminate its pigment. These pigment granules don’t simply disappear, but remain within the structures of the eye, and the dangers of this technique include glaucoma, uveitis, optic nerve damage, and cataracts.
- Keratopigmentation. With this procedure, a kind of permanent tattoo is applied to the eye. It basically consists of changing the color of the cornea, which is the outermost transparent layer of the eye, tinting it in the color chosen by the patient. In the case of the influencer Spanish that fueled the controversy after showing her aesthetic intervention, this was the chosen method.
But can you choose color?
with the l’scontact entities, staining and artificial irises are possible, but not with the laser. The resulting color will always be blue, regardless of whether that is the color we are looking for or not, since it is the only one that appears after removing the melanin granules from our iris.
Laser depigmentation, is it legal?
It is legal to do so, but certainly not ethical. Not surprisingly, this procedure is totally discouraged by the Spanish ophthalmology societies and lacks scientific evidence to support its use.
What are the risks of the color change carried out by the Spanish ‘influencer’?
The procedure chosen in this case was keratopigmentation, staining of the cornea. The first direct consequence of this technique is that the cornea is no longer transparent, only the central area of the eye is spared, the pupil. From then on, this will make any exploration of the structures inside the eye difficult, even complicating the detection of glaucoma or retinal detachment.
It will only indicate also that the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology consider that this technique carries a high safety risk and indicates that its long-term consequences are unknown.
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