Cosmetic procedures are becoming more common as people chase beauty, and a new unique surgery is currently sweeping the US. Los Angeles-based ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler has popularized a procedure to permanently change the color of your eyes, making it a viral trend. A professional specializing in such color transformations of eyes, with 3.4 million followers on TikTok and more than 319,000 on Instagram, is Dr. Boxer Wachler. He uploads numerous before-and-after videos on the subject on his accounts regularly.
It is known as ‘cosmetic surgery but for the eyes’, says a 57-year-old eye surgeon. “If people elect to have breast augmentation, face lifts and Botox, then why not change their eye color as well? If that’s what some people dream of having,” said the New York Post.
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The procedure, known as keratopigmentation, involves injecting pigment into the cornea, permanently changing the eye’s color. The process takes around 15 to 20 minutes per eye and is typically painless due to numbing drops. By altering the cornea from clear to opaque, the pigment covers the natural iris color.
However, this eye color change does not come cheap. The procedure costs $6,000 (around Rs 5 lakh) per eye, which means that the total cost for both eyes is about $12,000 (Rs 10 lakh). Despite the price, Dr. Boxer Wachler said that the procedure is ‘very safe’, as there is no risk of vision loss in healthy eyes without prior LASIK. “Sometimes scratchiness or light sensitivity, but that’s temporary,” he added.
The process involves an advanced laser to create a circular-shaped tunnel in the cornea, after which custom-made tools are used to expand the diameter of the tunnel for a more natural look. Ink is then injected into the channel to change the color of the eyes. The change in color happens immediately, and recovery takes just a day. The colors offered include emerald green, riviera blue, Paris blue, honey gold, steel grey, and olive green, with honey gold being the most popular color.
As long as Dr. Boxer Wachler himself has no intentions of undergoing this procedure, his patients’ responses give him huge satisfaction. “After the procedure, my patients are amazed. Incredibly happy, sometimes crying with tears of joy,” he shared.
Some reaction has been on social media: some users like the idea, but with mixed feelings: “I like the idea, however, it looks like it needs more work. Maybe in the years to come the science will improve the scary ass,” wrote one user. Others were just very critical; they described it as ‘creepy’ and ‘dystopian’. “This is scarier than any horror film I have seen,” said another user.
Dr. Boxer Wachler said, “Changing one’s eye color can be a major decision for many people. Many consider their eye color as an important part of who they are, and thus decide to change it to express themselves or to match the inner self with the outward self. It could make one feel better about oneself and give confidence, especially if the eye color that the person now possesses holds some sort of cultural or familial value.