For $12K, People Are Changing Their Eye Color for Good

More people are chucking their colored contacts for a more permanent way to change eye color: keratopigmentation. The Wall Street Journal reports that the procedure, also known as corneal tattooing, is on the rise as a cosmetic surgery, even though critics say the risks are too great. It involves using a laser to cut donut-shaped holes into the cornea, the outer layer of the eye. Pigment is then injected into the punctures to cover the iris and display a new, irreversible eye color. The dyes used by Alexander Movshovich, the first eye surgeon to offer keratopigmentation as a cosmetic procedure in the US, have not been cleared stateside, but are sold in Europe. They include a range of frosty blues, greens, grays, and browns.

This year, Movshovich is on track to perform 400 surgeries, which take about 30 minutes and cost $12,000. Insurance doesn't cover it. The Journal notes that the procedure has been used for non-medical reasons in Europe since the 2010s. But doctors have raised concerns, especially as corneal tattooing has gained virality on TikTok, where patients show off their new eyes. "We only get one set of eyes, and to put them at risk in the name of vanity is ridiculous," New Jersey ophthalmologist Diane Hilal-Campo tells Allure. "While keratopigmentation may be considered 'safer' than other cosmetic options, none of them are truly safe." The American Academy of Ophthalmology issued a warning in January, noting that eye tattooing can lead to light sensitivity, vision loss, infection, and other complications.

"Don't think that these surgeries carry no risk," says JoAnn A. Giaconi of the academy of Ophthalmology. In an interview with Ophthalmology Times, Movshovich acknowledges the risk, but calls it a "measurable" one to be navigated between doctor and patient. One of his own patients justifies that risk to the Journal: "People get their teeth done, they get implants and Botox. If it's something that could make you happier, make you look better—then why not?" (Brazilian butt lifts have killed Americans abroad.)