Some people seek a significant shift in their eye color, mainly for aesthetics purposes. The color of the human eye can differ from person to person. While genes determine eye color, the iris is the part of the eye responsible for its color. It can be brown, black, green, blue, hazel, gray, or some combination of these colors. There are different ways to change eye color and several ineffective myths surrounding eye color. The human eye has an extremely important role in attractiveness.
Color contacts are a temporary option for changing eye color. There are also surgeries such as lasers and implants, which, while dangerous, can change your eye color.
However, I’d like to remind you that the actual color of the eye is one of the least important factors in eye area aesthetics. The overall shape matters far more. Check out this Looks Theory episode for more info:
Eye color can change slightly, such as when the iris contracts in response to dark or strong emotions. But it only happens in a minute or so. If no intervention was done and a change in eye color continues, have it checked by a health practitioner since it may require medical care.
Wearing contact lenses is the easiest and fastest way to change your eye color temporarily. They come in a variety of types:
Opaque: Opaque-tint lenses such as amethyst, green, and blue provide a complete and non-transparent change of eye color. This type is most suitable for people with dark eyes who want to make them lighter.
Visibility: Visibility-tint contact lenses don’t change your eye color. These lenses have lightly-tinted, faint flecks of green or blue, which can stress THE natural eye color. What’s cool about these lenses is that if you accidentally drop them, you won’t find them difficult to find because of the tinting.
Enhancement: Via the word itself, enhancement-tint contact lenses give a boost to your natural eye color to make it stand out. These lenses are semi-opaque and transparent yet have robust colors that accentuate the edge of the iris.
Using contact lenses has minimal risks. Without proper cleaning of contact lenses, you can get eye issues such as itchiness and blurry vision, which may result in blindness. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires a prescription for decorative lenses or Plano contacts. This means that these contacts will fit the correct grade as determined by an ophthalmologist or optometrist to avoid any risk of complications. Anyone who uses decorative lenses should watch out for any signs of adverse effects such as pain, itchiness, or redness. If any of these symptoms persist, consult a doctor immediately.
Changing Eye Color Permanently
For people hoping to modify their eye color permanently, invasive surgeries are becoming more common such as:
Iris Implant Surgery
This surgery is available in some countries, but the United States is not yet one of them. Following an eye injury or trauma, this surgery will repair or replace the iris. This surgery might become more popular because it comes with an intentional permanent change in eye color, which is great for cosmetics purposes. Although there is always a risk of complications with surgery, some notable severe risks are swelling of the cornea and partial to total blindness. Hence, many doctors discourage this procedure. The American Academy of Ophthalmology warned the public that this procedure could lead to severe eye complications, including transient loss of vision and, eventually, blindness.
Low-energy Laser
This laser removes pigment from the stroma, a layer of interlaced tissue found in the iris. Dr. Gregg Homer developed this technique in 2009. He is the founder of the Stroma Medical Corporation. According to Stroma’s website, this procedure is not yet available to the general public since it is still undergoing clinical trials. In the next few years, a breakthrough method like this might be possible because it opens up a market for more ophthalmic surgeries.
Gaining traction
This new surgical eye procedure changes eye color permanently. The process uses an artificial, exogenous iris to alter the eye color instantly. Many doctors discourage this procedure, even though it has become popular among celebrities since this technique can lead to severe eye damage.
Common Myths About Changing Eye Color
If there are proven procedures supported by science, there are also myths that you may have heard of like the following ideas:
You may find some random suggestions on the internet, claiming that washing the eyes with honey and lukewarm water could slowly change the color of the eyes. This idea came from the fact that honey can minimize inflammation and treat itchiness of the eye. Technically, it is considered to be an unsafe method because no scientific evidence can support it. Without undergoing a sanitary practice, tap water and honey will not be regarded as safe and, therefore, may cause infection. The eyes are sterile human organs, and thus, applying unsterile substances can result in contamination or infection. It also likely doesn’t work because the honey diluted in water cannot penetrate the cornea and get to your iris.
The eye color also does not naturally shift color all by itself unless a person has a rare eye condition like Heterochromia Iridis. Melanin is the pigment that provides color to our skin and bodily parts. When present in higher amounts in the eyes, melanin turns the eyes darker. So the less melanin in your eyes, the lighter its color will be. Hence, our eye color will stay the same from infancy to old age.
The Role of the Human Eye in Attractiveness
Most people who wish to have a shift in eye color do so for cosmetic reasons, specifically to become more dominant-looking or attractive. However, Kleisner et al. (2010) found that there was no perceived correlation with dominance and eye color among women. On the flip side, there was a statistically substantial proportion between eye color and perceived dominance among men. That is, increased dominance was seen among brown-eyed men.
In an investigation directed by Dyer, A. (2016), he analyzed the recurrence of eye color among business models from Brazil and the UK. These attractive nationalities were chosen as participants because they possess inverted frequencies of eye color. Brazilians have a dominant brown color in their eyes. UK nationals have an excess of light colors. Brazilian models with bright eyes are in a significant excess while, in the UK, models with brown or intermediate eyes were in considerable excess. This indicates that eye color affects sexual appeal. People with rare eye colors are perceived as more alluring.
Some people say blue eyes tend to be more attractive. However, if you dig deeper into facial aesthetics, you will find that the overall shape is more important. The central aspect that drives your eye aesthetics is your orbital bone and how developed your maxilla is. An almond-shaped eye is the most attractive. Some interventions for optimizing your eye area include blepharoplasty, canthoplasty, and canthopexy. To find out more about these surgeries and if you want to know more about eye area aesthetics, click here.
Conclusion
With each passing day, researchers are working diligently to integrate the most efficient, safe, and attainable ways to change eye color. So far, decorative lenses provide the easiest and quickest way to do so. Get a prescription for some contacts, and then you’ll be able to buy them almost anywhere. Make sure you get them from a reputable source and give them proper care. Anyone who wishes to achieve a permanent change in eye color may consider undergoing surgery, provided that they understand and accept the risks. A safer suggestion is to go for temporary options first and see how it goes.
