With Halloween closely in sight, this time of year is marked by people planning and crafting costumes to change their appearance—and, in some cases, their eye color. Colored contact lenses are most popular come October, although many people fail to recognize that these are medical devices and should be treated—AKA prescribed—as such. Even more potentially damaging, there are other efforts to alter one’s eye color that are not so time-sensitive and temporary. Three recent additions to Eyetube showcase the dangers of cosmetic iris implants. (You will notice they all center around their removal.)

REMOVAL OF BrightOcular COSMETIC IRIS IMPLANTS

In this video, Romesh Angunawela, MD, shows the case of a patient with BrightOcular iris implants in both eyes. The patient presented with cataract, glaucoma, recurrent inflammation, and early corneal failure. Dr. Angunawela details his steps for this challenging implant removal and discusses future interventions the patient will need.

MODIFIED TECHNIQUE FOR IRIS IMPLANT REMOVAL

Sight-threatening issues with cosmetic iris implants sometimes develop days, months, or years after the initial surgery. In this HD video, Ali Mearza, MBBS, FRCOphth, demonstrates a modified and simplified technique for removal of these implants, with minimal trauma to the eye.

COSMETIC IRIS IMPLANT EXPLANTATION

Ike K. Ahmed, MD, shares his surgical steps for removing a cosmetic iris implant that was causing corneal decompensation and angle-closure glaucoma.