The Risks and Benefits of Changing Eye Color with Laser Surgery.

This cosmetic technique is well received by those who wish to realize the dream of obtaining their favorite eye color, apart from the option of wearing colored contact lenses, which was evident through the recent increase in the rate of this type of operation.

But is the technique of changing the color of the eyes via laser considered completely safe, and what is the opinion of the specialists in it?

Professor Moataz Gharaibeh, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Jordan, told Sky News Arabia that the cornea is the front transparent part of the eye, while the color of the eye comes from the color of the iris located behind the cornea, including the pupil through which a person sees.

According to Gharaibeh, “the natural color of the human eye is blue, and the greater the pigment in the iris, the more the eye color changes to green, brown, or black. Therefore, plastic surgery to change eye color through laser works to remove part of the pigmentation in the iris and lighten the color, meaning that this procedure The surgical procedure enables the conversion of the color of the eyes from black to brown to hazel to green, and not vice versa, as people with blue eyes cannot darken the color of their eyes through this type of surgery.

4 ways to change eye color

According to Gharaibeh, who holds a Spanish fellowship in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, eye color can be changed in four ways:

• Placing contact lenses on the cornea is the most appropriate method.
• Implantation of an artificial iris inside the eyeThis method is used in certain and therapeutic cases and not as a cosmetic procedure, and this technique has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Union and has complications that may lead to vision loss.
• Laser surgery that is used to lighten the color of the eyeWhere the doctor removes part of the pigmentation present in the iris, to lighten its color and convert it from milky black, hazel, or green, and this technique, which has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, may result in complications such as iritis, bleeding inside the eye, high eye pressure, or Cataract infection, as it may cause corneal blackout.
• Coloring or pigmentation of the corneaThis is done by drilling inside the cornea via a laser to put the desired color, and this method has many functional complications such as exposure to light sensitivity, in addition to the inability to dilate the pupil in the event that the person who performs this operation needs any medical intervention later, and the organic complications are represented by inflammation of the cornea or the growth of blood vessels on her.

Professor Graebe advises those wishing to change the color of their eyes to use only external contact lenses, while taking their precautions and adhering to the doctor’s instructions.