Fashions to meet today’s beauty standards no longer only include the clothes or accessories we wear. As we have told in Magnetaesthetic surgeries are increasing in recent years, boosted by the celebritiessocial networks (and their filters) and what some experts refer to as “mind dysmorphia”. selfies“People want to look like their Instagram idols and they don’t care about resorting to a physical change to achieve it.
However, these operations are no longer as before: it is no longer just about enlarge the breasts or buttocks or shaping the nose or chin, we are talking about more complicated interventions, such as change eye color. Operations they recommend influencers from all over the world despite the medical ignorance that exists.
Some days ago, a tiktoker with not a few followers talked about the surgery she had recently undergone and recommended (she was very confident) her operation to other users: “Results 48 hours later. There is no filter or anything, very heavy. It didn’t look bad on me before but lol, it’s just that with blue-green eyes it’s amazing. They’re still a little irritated, I have to put on drops because they’re a bit red but come on, I’ve gone for the second checkup and they’re healing very well so I’m very happy. Intervention of only 45 minutes with local anesthesia”.
The video was quickly picked up by an optics and optometry studentwho gave several arguments why it is not advisable to carry out these surgeries and the dangers that exist behind the practice: “I do not believe that these things are being promoted and I am terrified to think that people may be being influenced for this barbaric thing to be done. a long-term blindness for having blue eyes. And this is the reality that these tell us influencersperhaps due to ignorance ”, he points out.
A tiktok user talks about the consequences of the eye color change operation that some influencers are recommending pic.twitter.com/G8xF78gRxj
— Cooltura (@coolturabasura) March 5, 2023
As he explainsin this type of surgery, “a laser depigments the iris and your eyes are left blue. The problem is that when the laser passes, the pigment does not disappear or disintegrate, but rather accumulates in the aqueous humor, in the anterior chamber of the eye, and this area does not have a drainage function, so it ends up clogging and this leads to increased intraocular pressure, which gives rise to diseases such as glaucoma, damage to the optic nerve, vitreous and retinal detachments, etc. In the long term: blindness”.
Getting a different eye color has always been one of the wishes of many people. There are even silicone contact lenses to achieve this temporarily. However, now there is also the possibility to change the color of the eyes permanently through laser surgeries. Interventions that still are in trial period in many countries, while in others they are not even allowed. In the US, for example, its approval by the FDA is still pending..
A dangerous and forbidden trend
And it is not in vain. In recent years, several influencers They have reported having gone blind after undergoing similar operations. Nadinne Bruna, for example, wanted to have clear eyes and that has cost him the loss of vision. He resorted to a surgical procedure in Bogotá that consisted of placing silicone implants, something illegal in the usa. Her eyes changed, yes, but the operation proved fatal to her vision. “Today I have chronic and irreversible damage, I have already undergone eight surgeries and I am in rehabilitation, in a clinic for the blind three times a week where they teach me to live this new life,” the model recounted.
Amber Luke also alerted on her social networks about the risks of getting an eye tattoo, which is another type of operation to change the color of the eyes. Three weeks after her intervention, lost sight temporarily. The influencers recounted the ordeal he lived through: “They lasted 40 painful minutes and 4 interventions were necessary for each eye.. I feel as if my eyes were being rubbed with pieces of glass.”
But to start talking about this surgical process, you must first understand what biologically determines eye color and what these operations consist of in detail. As the experts explainthe tonality of our eyes depends on the amount of melanin that we have in the iris. People with the greatest amount tend to have brown or black eyes, and those with the least have blue, green, or honey-colored eyes.
Also the color of our eyes depends on genetics. Although the exact level of incidence is not known, scientists have managed to identify at least two of the most influential genes: the OCA2 gene, which produces a protein called Pand the HER2 gene, which is located on chromosome number 15.
What is the operation about? What risks does it have?
One of the most used techniques is iris depigmentation, which consists of use a laser to burn pigment from the iris (the melanin). This destroyed pigment passes into the aqueous humor of the eye and is hopefully washed away. Although it is not always the case. Theoretically, this technique makes it possible to lighten the color of the eyes, since it destroys the substance that gives it its color. However, you cannot acquire any shade, the eyes can only remain blue.
Another method is the keratopigmentation, which consists of coloring the cornea with dye. A kind of eye tattoo. It is less aggressive as it is reversible and non-permanent. But in this case, it must be kept in mind that the pigments must be biocompatible for the eye, and that they can result in permanent dry eyes.
Despite its existence, The Spanish Ophthalmological Society generally advises against any implant in the iris for aesthetic purposes. until tests and studies are carried out that demonstrate a greater regulation of these procedures to avoid any risk that affects our visual health. In fact, the organization believes that depigmentation of the iris for aesthetic reasons does not offer any guarantee of safety due to the high probability that some complications may arise.
According to the Bavarian clinicamong the most notable risks it is worth mentioning the appearance of Glaucomawhich occurs when the optic nerve is damaged as a result of a higher intraocular pressure than usual. This can lead to irreversible visual loss requiring indefinite treatment and even surgery in cases that do not respond adequately.
On the other hand, according to Dr. Federico Trejosanother complication to be expected when removing any degree of natural iris pigmentation, “is the photophobia or unusual intolerance to light of a chronic nature, also motivated by changes in the size of the pupil”. And he points out that “transient intraocular inflammation can occur, which, even though it is treatable with medication, can leave unexpected sequelae”.