Wanna change eye colour permanently? Keratopigmentation is your answer!
WEB DESK: Dreaming of waking up with ocean-blue, mossy-green or amber eyes instead of your boring brown every day? Welcome to the world of keratopigmentation.
What is keratopigmentation?
The controversial medical innovation generates a lot of buzz and passionate debate when it is brought up. Yet, despite how much people are obsessed with different eye colours, the procedure seems surprisingly not as well known.The allure of a permanent eye colour swap is strong for many, however, realities behind this procedure are as complex as the human eye itself!
Procedure
Keratopigmentation involves implanting a medical pigment directly into the cornea, the clear outer layer of the eye, to create the illusion of a new iris colour.
Rather than dyeing the iris itself, surgeons make a precise microscopic channel within the cornea, filling it with pigment that settles in a natural-looking way.
The concept was pioneered in Europe, and after years of refinement, only a handful of clinics in the United States – reportedly just two – have adopted the procedure; owing to strict regulation and specialised training requirements.
How does it work?
- Consultation: Aspirants undergo a thorough eye health evaluation and select a desiredhue.
- Surgery: Using a femtosecond laser – micro-needles – the surgeon creates a fine channel in the cornea.
- Pigment Injection: High-grade pigments are carefully deposited into the channel, changing the visual colour you present to the world.
- Duration and Recovery: The operation lasts about 15 to 45 minutes per eye – usually under a local anaesthesia and most people return home the same day.
The result? A dramatic and lasting transformation, with your cornea displaying your chosen colour day in and day out!
Why do people seek such a risky procedure?
- Aesthetic Transformation: Many want a long-coveted look that they have been yearning for.
- Boosted Self-esteem: For some, a new eye colour is a key confidence boost.
- Medical Uses: In very rare cases, surgeons use keratopigmentation to conceal eye defects or scars, merging beauty and restoration
- Body Modification: This procedure have been most observed within the body medication community. Just like tattoos or cosmetic surgery, keratopigmentation appeals to such people. They claim feeling ‘unique’, with social media fuelling much of the curiosity and demand.