I Spent $12,000 to Change My Eye Color from Brown to Blue, But Surgeons Gave Me a Serious Warning
A woman who underwent surgery to change her eye color from brown to blue has revealed how the procedure changed her life.
Ulku Dogan of San Francisco flew to New York City for the $12,000 operation called keratopigmentation, in which surgeons cut open the clear area at the top of the eye and filled it with a dye.
She was conscious but under local anesthesia during the procedure, and she instructed the surgeon to add more dye until her eyes were the desired color.
In a clip after the operation, Ms Ulku – who works as a wealth advisor – exclaims ‘wow’ and says she thinks the new color is ‘amazing’.
Eye color change surgery is becoming increasingly popular in the US, with one leading surgeon saying he now sees 400 patients for the operation every year – up from just 15 in 2019.
But experts warn against the procedure, saying it is irreversible, not approved by the FDA and could lead to blindness or other serious vision complications.
But doctors who offer the surgeries resist this characterization, saying that despite the warnings, they are generally safe and quick, lasting just 30 minutes.
Above is Ulku Dogan before (left) and after surgery (right) to change her eye color from brown to blue. She is a wealth advisor in San Francisco
Ms Dogan, 49, said Business insider: ‘I feel confident, very happy. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made for myself. I wish I had done this ten years ago.’
However, she said she suffered from discomfort and photosensitivity – an extreme discomfort or pain in the eyes when exposed to bright light.
This can also include sensitivity to any level of relief or pain, which can lead to migraines or other problems.
In another case, Cameron Briggs – a 22-year-old cryptocurrency investor from Essex, England – said the operation made him feel like he was “about to explode.”
He told the WashingtonPost he had pain for about 48 hours after the procedure that caused one of his eyes to turn blue-gray, matching his puppy’s.
“It was terrible, I felt sick,” he said several months later. “But in the end it’s a procedure, what did I expect?”
“But I have done something,” he added, “if I get one eye and leave the other, at least I’ll only go blind in one eye.”
Also called keratopigmentation, this procedure involves cutting the cornea (the clear, outer part of the eye) using a laser and filling the area with the desired pigment.
There is also another form of eye color surgery, in which a colored sheet is implanted into the eye – called Iris implant surgery – to change its color.
Ms Dogan underwent kerato pigmentation earlier this year and ‘loved’ her results
A patient known only when Mark, who had previously undergone this procedure in Panama to change his eyes from brown to blue, ended up going blind in the right eye.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says that eye color change procedures such as keratopigmentation can cause blindness, light sensitivity or cataracts – cloudiness in the eye that clouds and darkens vision.
It also says that the procedure is not approved by the FDA for cosmetic purposes. (But it can still be performed off-label, because the surgery uses an FDA-approved method but for the treatment of a different condition.)
Keratopigmentation uses the same lasers as those used in LASIK eye surgery, reshaping the cornea so that a person can see without glasses.
These have previously been linked to eye complications, including pain, blurred or double vision and excessive tearing.
However, experts who offer eye color change surgery emphasize that it is generally safe to perform 2021 study that followed 40 patients who underwent the surgery for approximately 29 months.
The results showed that 12 of the patients – 30 percent – experienced light sensitivity after the procedure, while five said the pigment faded and one – who had previously undergone another surgery on the eye – developed corneal ectasia, a condition which causes the cornea to thin and bulge outward.
Many patients who undergo the surgery accept the risks and say they are happy with the results.
In addition to Ms. Dogan, 39-year-old real estate worker Jason Jimenez of New York City, who had his eyes changed from brown to light gray, says he has no regrets about the work.
“I see it as an improvement,” he told the newspaper Wall Street Journal. “People are getting their teeth done, they’re getting implants and Botox. If it’s something that could make you happier, make you look better, then why not?’
Top experts continue to warn of the dangers, including AAO clinical spokeswoman Dr. JoAnn Giaconi, who said: ‘Do not think that these operations do not involve risk.
‘No operation is without risk. For purely cosmetic eye surgery, it’s simply not worth the risk when it comes to your good eyesight.’
Dr. Julian Prosia, an optometrist in Canada, also warned on TikTok: “Personally, if it were me, I would rather use colored contact lenses for a cosmetic benefit than risk long-term side effects.”