KERATO - Safe Eye Color Change (2024)

FAQs

How does kerato eye color change work? ›

Run by ophthalmologist Dr. Alexander Movshovich, KERATO is the first keratopigmentation practice in the U.S. that uses special lasers to insert pigments inside a healthy cornea to cover the eye's natural color, which lies in the iris. The procedure costs $12,000 and is not covered by insurance.

As for eye drops claiming they can permanently lighten your eye color, she says there's no evidence those will be effective. “You're actually stopping melanin from being produced, and that's really difficult to do, when you're talking about something penetrating into the eye to make a difference,” Cobin-Simon said.

(That's not her real name—can you imagine if it was?) She wants her gaze to be visible from a distance. Keratopigmentation, a procedure to permanently change one's eye color that has been performed for at least a decade in Europe, is gaining popularity in the United States.

Silver sulfate or argentum, which can permanently change the white color of your eyes. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) as an active ingredient. These products are unapproved drugs and illegally marketed in the U.S. There are no legally marketed ophthalmic drugs that contain MSM as an active ingredient.

The non-FDA-approved $12,000 keratopigmentation procedure, known as kerato (https://www.keratonyc.com) has now been performed in over 700 patients, according to an Inside Edition segment on the procedure. “I've heard so many times, 'Doctor, you've changed my life,” explained Alexander Movshovich, in the segment.

Keratopigmentation should not be indicated for aesthetic purposes due to its surgical risks, functional and structural limitations, future exploratory and surgical drawbacks, disastrous cosmetic results, and high price.

Using tinted contact lenses is the most common way to change eye color for a short time. Three types of lenses are available, depending on how drastic a change is desired.

While colored contact lenses are the safest solution for eye color change, surgery may be appropriate if a damaged or abnormally colored iris is causing you distress. Even so, the procedure may not be covered by insurance.

Is the Keratopigmentation procedure FDA approved? No. Keratopigmentation is not specifically FDA approved.

What is the recovery time for keratopigmentation? ›

Recovery from keratopigmentation

The first week: You might experience photosensitivity, or sensitivity to bright light, for the first three days or so. However, you can resume normal activities as soon as you feel up to it.

How much does the procedure cost? Keratopigmentation costs 7,000 euros including tax for both eyes.

Your MSM, color changing, and eye lightening eye drop products are not generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) for their above-referenced uses and, therefore, these products are “new drugs” under section 201(p) of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(p).

Berne's and LightEyez eye drops due to a similar issue. And in early February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged people to stop using EzriCare eye drops, after bacterial contamination in the product was linked to a string of hospitalizations and one death.

Can You Permanently Change Your Eye Color? The color of your eye can be permanently changed. It can be done by adding or extracting pigments or replacing the entire iris. Eye color change surgery is generally an elective procedure since the color of the iris has no effect on vision.

The way colored contact lenses work is simple; the area that covers the colored portion of your eye is tinted to either enhance or change your natural color.

Keratopigmentation involves using a needle or a laser to create space in the cornea itself, into which a color pigment is injected, permanently changing the cornea from clear to opaque and covering over the natural iris color inside.

Since it is an elective cosmetic procedure, insurance will not cover its cost. What is the cost of the procedure? It costs $13,000 for both eyes and covers the cost of all your visits.