US, January 31, 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): The pursuit of beauty has led to a growing demand for cosmetic procedures, and now a new trend is taking over the US—a surgery that permanently alters eye colour. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, a 57-year-old ophthalmologist based in Los Angeles, has become known for performing this procedure, sharing dramatic before-and-after transformations with his 3.4 million TikTok followers and over 319,000 Instagram fans.
“It’s cosmetic surgery but for the eyes,” he told The New York Post. “If people elect to have breast augmentation, face lifts, and Botox, then why not change their eye colour as well? If that’s what some people dream of having.”
How the procedure works
The surgery, called keratopigmentation, involves injecting pigment into the cornea to change its colour permanently. The process, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes per eye, replaces the natural iris colour with a new shade. Patients are given numbing drops, making the procedure virtually painless.
However, this cosmetic enhancement comes at a steep price—$6,000 per eye, totalling $12,000 (approximately ₹10 lakh).
Dr. Brian insists the procedure is “very safe”, stating that there is “no loss of vision in healthy eyes without prior LASIK”. Some temporary side effects, such as scratchiness or light sensitivity, may occur but typically fade quickly.
The surgery involves using an advanced laser to create a circular-shaped tunnel in the cornea. The tunnel is then widened to blend naturally with the cornea’s edge before the pigment is injected to achieve the desired eye colour. The transformation is immediate, and recovery takes just one day.
Patients can choose from colours like emerald green, evergreen, riviera blue, and Paris blue, though honey gold, steel grey, and olive green remain the most popular.
Summary: A new beauty trend is sweeping the US, with people opting for permanent eye colour change surgery, costing around ₹10 lakh.