The eyes are one of the first things that people see in human interaction and are a main focus in conversation. Having bright white eyes is similar to having the same color in teeth, it implies youthfulness, being alert, and appears energetic. Your eye color can be better magnified by the contrast of a surrounding whiter sclera.

Red or discolored eyes are a common problem and are usually the result of a lifetime of sun exposure. While protection of one’s skin from the sun is widely known, similarly protecting one’s eyes is less appreciated. The many types of eye drops for red eye treatment is a testament to the chronicity of the problem for some people. While these eyedrops using mainly astringents can be temporarily effective, their long-term use might actually cause the reverse of what they are intended to treat.

As an alternative to eyedrops and with much longer lasting effects, a cosmetic eye whitening procedure is available. In this procedure the outer membrane that covers the white part of the eye which contains the blood vessels is altered. Using numbing eye drops, this outer membrane known as the conjunctiva is removed. The inner and outer visible sections are removed in a procedure that takes less than 30 minutes. Over the next  several weeks, the membrane naturally grows back over what was removed. This new membrane doesn’t contain blood vessels so it will be whiter afterwards. Much like the healing of epithelium  on the skin, new cells migrate from the outside to re-establish its protective outer layer.

While the eye will initially look more red in the weeks that it is healing, it takes about a month to see the benefit of the color change. During the healing phase, the most common symptoms are that of dryness and the feeling of a foreign body in the eye. Reports indicate that 85% to 95% of patients treated are satisfied.

While blepharoplasty and browlifts have served as the main stay of periorbital rejuvenation for many years, cosmetic improvements have been working their way inward. Temporary eyelash extensions and stimulants for lash growth (Latisse) have become popular more recently. Contact lenses for eye color change have been around much longer. The last frontier appears to be the whites of our eyes. Cosmetic eye whitening appears to be safe and effective. It undoubtably requires experience and technical skill to safely dissect and lift off the conjunctival membrane. The ophthalmologists who perform this procedure are for now few and far between.     

Dr. Barry Eppley

http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com

http://www.ologyspa.com

Indianapolis, Indiana