A Miami model reportedly has the eyesight of a 90-year-old after a botched surgery that was intended to change her eye color. What happened to her eyes as a result of the cosmetic eye procedure?
Botched Eye Color Surgery
In September of 2016, Instagram model Nadinne Bruna underwent a surgery that was intended to change her eye color from brown to light gray. The controversial procedure which involves placing silicone implants into the eyes to change its color is currently not approved by the FDA in the United States, so the 32-year-old had to go to Bogota, Colombia to have the cosmetic procedure done.
Because of her large following on social media, Bruna was given a discounted rate of $3,000 as long as she posts a testimonial video about the procedure on her Instagram account.
However, Bruna experienced pain and constantly blurry vision soon after the procedure, and her eyes turned red, painful, and itchy in the months that followed. She also developed a glaucoma, a condition that eventually leads to blindness. Evidently, Bruna's optic nerve had been damaged as a result of the procedure.
In March and June of 2017, Bruna went back to Colombia to get the damage fixed, but she still ended up having to have the implant removed at a hospital in Miami by September and getting emergency surgery to try to save her vision by November.
Despite the removal of the implants, the damage to her eyes had already been done, and her loss of vision could only worsen because of the glaucoma.
As a result, Bruna has been living on her savings as she could no longer do photo shoots because of her condition. According to her, she made a mistake in trusting the wrong person and for not doing her research, but she still does not believe that surgeries are bad.
Cosmetic Eye Procedures
An iris implant surgery to change the eye color is done by inserting an artificial iris through a slit in the cornea and adjusted into place so that it covers the natural iris. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the procedure was initially developed for individuals who were born without an iris, or those who have suffered injuries to the eyes.
However, the procedure has been marketed as a cosmetic procedure to change the eye color in recent years, something that is rather dangerous as it can lead to reduced vision, blindness, glaucoma, injury to the cornea, and inflammation. In Bruna's case, she has lost 80 percent of her vision in the right eye, and 50 percent of her vision in the left eye.
As such, the AAO suggests simply using colored contact lenses if one wished to change eye color, although even such devices must be ensured safe before usage.
