There's no denying that light blue eyes are stunning, and with just 17 percent of the world's population gifted with such a striking feature, it's understandable why blue eyes are coveted.
For those born with brown eyes, getting their own baby blues is only possible with colored contact lenses. Well, not anymore.
Stroma Medical, a California-based company, has come up with a surgical procedure in which laser will be used to eliminate the brown pigment present in the iris' anterior layers.
Dr. Gregg Homer, the company's founder, said that there is no actual blue pigmentation in human eyes. Rather, the idea is that a blue eye exists under every brown eye. It's just a matter of dealing with the thin layer of pigment that separates the two to make the blue eye come to surface.
"If you take that pigment away, then the light can enter the stroma - the little fibers that look like bicycle spokes in a light eye - and when the light scatters it only reflects back the shortest wavelengths and that's the blue end of the spectrum," he explained, likening the effect to Rayleigh scattering, which gives the sky its blue appearance.
The procedure actually just takes 20 seconds, but it will take several weeks before blue eyes emerge. All the laser will really do is disrupt the pigment layer of the eye as the body will take care of removing tissues naturally.
Homer said it's hardly possible to injure anyone during the procedure because a low-intensity laser is being used but he understands the concern about safety given one of the most sensitive parts of the body is involved.
Stroma Medical's laser procedure is still not available in the United States, but it is expected to cost about $5,000. In Costa Rica, 20 patients have undergone surgery while 17 in Mexico will soon have natural-looking blue eyes.
One of the main concerns ophthalmologists have with turning brown eyes blue is that the released pigment has the potential to clog drainage channels in the eye, causing pressure to build up. If pressure is high enough and persists long enough, glaucoma develops.
Stroma Medical, however, is confident that complications, should any arise, are likely short term and will easily be remedied. Homer, on the other hand, is more focused on addressing the needs of those who want to have blue eyes, no matter their reasons.
Photo: Francisco Osorio | Flickr
