Implantable Contact Lenses Q&A
100%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers
that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not.
See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings
or Add Your Review
Average Implantable Contact Lenses Cost: $3,000
Learn about Implantable Contact Lenses
Get Free Email Updates
Could Laser Eye Color Surgery Work?
asked 6 months ago by anon
Latest answer by Christopher Coad, MD
Question viewed 187 times
Tags: eyes, eye color, eyesight
I saw this on around the net -- a dr in LA says he's developed a laser to permanently turn brown eyes blue. Based on your experience with eyes, is this truly possible? Is it safe??
5 answers to Could Laser Eye Color Surgery Work?
+1
Procedure that changes eye color
This procedure could possibly work for changing eye color, but could also potentially damage the eye permanently by causing glaucoma or iritis.
+1
Laser treatment to change Iris Color
Actually, I believe it was a lawyer who patented the idea of changing the eye color through a laser procedure and not a medical doctor. Until this procedure undergoes FDA clinical trials that demonstrate it as safe and effective, it would be wise to avoid an off-label use of the laser for this purpose. In the future, it might be accepted by the medical community but it would require rigorous testing first.
Jay Bansal, MD
San Francisco Ophthalmologist
San Francisco Ophthalmologist
+1
Not a good idea
There is actually a medical condition in which the iris becomes lighter by losing its pigment. That leads to increased intraocular pressure because the pigment disperses in the anterior segment of the eye and blocks the outflow of fluid causing glaucoma, or permanent loss of field of vision. Brown eyes differ from blue eyes because they have more melanin pigment that creates a darker color. When laser is applied to the iris one can destroy that pigment by dispersing it in the eye. It could...
more
Natalie Borodoker, MD
New York Ophthalmologist
New York Ophthalmologist
+1
Sounds like a bad idea
Liberating pigment from the iris is a good way to cause glaucoma. We see this every day as a result of trauma. Blue contact lenses are safer, and let you change your mind.
Benjamin Ticho, MD
Chicago Ophthalmologist
Chicago Ophthalmologist
+1
Laser Eye Color Surgery
I saw the same article and video regarding changing the color of the iris from brown to blue with a laser. While, with modern technology, virtually anything is possible, that doesn't mean it is prudent. To make this topic understandable, the reason a brown iris is brown, is that it contains more pigment than a blue iris. Therefore, if a device were used to knock some pigment off of the iris it would certainly become lighter, if not blue. Several concerns arise here. The first is that...
more
