Colour-changing eye implants not worth the risk, doctor warns

Is a striking new eye colour worth paying for if you’ll never see it for yourself?

An alarming trend in cosmetic eye surgery is seeing some individuals put their vision at risk to permanently change the colour of their irises.

The costly surgery involves doctors slicing into the surface of the eye and placing a silicone lens on top of the iris to change its colour. Doctors say grey is the most popular implant colour among patients, followed by blue and green.

The procedure is illegal in the U.S. and Canada, but it’s still available at clinics in other parts of the world – for a pretty penny. Some individuals are paying up to $9,000 to change the colour of their eyes in a 30-minute procedure that can leave the patient blind if performed incorrectly.

That’s what happened to Canadian Beatriz Murillo a few years ago, when she travelled to Panama to get her eye colour changed from brown to blue. Doctors at the Panama clinic botched her iris implant surgery and left her with blue eyes, but no eyesight.

“She’s an artist and now she can’t function as an artist anymore,” said Dr. Allan Slomovic, president of the Canadian Ophthalmology Society.

But Slomovic says Murillo isn’t the only one to suffer the consequences of the risky surgery, and more people need to be aware of the risks to their health before choosing to get the operation done. He says many are seduced by the appeal of an exotic new look, and are often willing to overlook a long list of potentially damaging side effects.

“They are lured by the appeal that this is a painless 15-minute procedure,” Slomovic told CTV News. “However, the complications and serious side effects can last the rest of their lives.”

One York University student says he travelled to Brazil to get his eye colour changed from brown to grey.

“My first reaction was that they look amazing, they look great, they look natural,” said Phillip, who did not want his last name used. “It makes me feel special. Makes me feel more handsome.”

India-based cosmetic eye surgeon Dr. Shibu Varkey says grey iris implants are the most common request at his clinic, where he typically works with patients who want to change their brown eye colour to a lighter hue.

“The majority of people are from the Middle East and also from Japan and Korea,” he told CTV National News Medical Specialist Avis Favaro. He adds that he’s also seen a rise in the number of patients from Canada and the U.S. as the surgery has grown in popularity.

But not every patient is a candidate for the surgery, Varkey says.

“We are introducing something extra into the eye, so the eye has to have sufficient space to safely accommodate that extra that you will put in,” he said.

Glaucoma, eye inflammation and excessive pressure on the eyes are just a few of the side effects Varkey has seen over the years. However, he says newer silicone iris implants have “almost completely” eradicated the risk of patients developing glaucoma.

“This procedure has an element of risk, as with any other procedure in the eye,” Varkey said.

Doctors have been using artificial lenses to correct eye defects for years, but cosmetic eye surgery is purely for show, and North American doctors don’t think it’s worth the risk to a patient’s health.

Canada’s Dr. Slomovic says there are still many long-term risks associated with cosmetic eye surgery.

“To take a perfectly well-functioning eye and subject it to something where we don’t know the long-term consequences is not in a patient’s best interests,” he said. “Even though the implants can be removed, they can cause damage.”

Slomovic says not every patient will have complications from the surgery, but “a significant percentage” will still suffer as a result.

“The data speaks against it, and I think there are good reasons why they’re not allowed in Canada or the U.S.,” he said. “Buyer beware.”

With files from  CTV’s medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip