When anything new comes out into the market, it is always a little scary to try; especially when related to the eyes, after all, we only have two of them.
A new artificial iris diaphragm implant has been developed in order to change the color of the eyes.
This implant is safe, well tolerated and gives an appearance more natural than contact lenses.
The lense is mainly intended for patients suffering from oculocutaneous albinism or colobomas, although there is a demand for strictly cosmetic reasons.
The implant is easily tolerated because it is made of very thin material, ophthalmic-grade silicone.
The implant is designed to be permanent, but it can be removed if needed.
Actually placing the implant is a very simple procedure lasting only about 15 minutes.
Flaps are used which do not place pressure on the corneoscleral trabecular meshwork and the collector channels of the eye as haptics often do.
These flaps help keep the implant in place as well as allow normal aqueous flow.
Very few complications have been reported.
Corneal edema has been reported, but the condition did clear shortly after.
Hyperemia is a possible side effect as well as loss of the amount of endothelial cells.
These side effects do not appear often and they are very minimal if implanted correctly.
On average, visual accuracy was raised to 20/40 or better.
Many people who are interested in having their eyes look a certain way for their careers or just because of their personal preferences have had good results with this surgery.
In addition those suffering from albinism have also benefited greatly.