Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your tax-deductible donation now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Don't It Turn Your Brown Eyes Blue: Laser Procedure Can Permanently Make the Switch For You
Extreme eye closeup photo via Shutterstock
When it comes to changing the color of your eyes, those colored contact lenses are child's play compared to what one Laguna Beach firm says they can do. A process called Lumineyes uses a laser to permanently turn brown eyes blue. Is this the next wave of vanity surgery?
Lumineyes is the work of Stroma Medical, and CEO Doug Daniels and "former entertainment lawyer turned Stanford University law professor" Greg Homer.
Here's how it works, explains KTLA:
When laser energy is absorbed by the eye's brown pigment, Homer says the pigment tissue changes and then the body sheds the altered tissue, changing brown eyes to blue within two to three weeks. The brown tissue never regenerates.
Research conducted by Stroma found that 55% of Americans (and a whopping 80% of humans world-wide) have dark eyes. Two separate surveys revealed that 17% of dark-eyed people said they'd go for a medical switch to blue if the procedure were "safe and effective." Stroma's research also indicated there are 8 million potential patients per year who would be able to buck up for the surgery.
Far more people with dark eyes who want blue ones than the reverse, their research uncovered. And speaking of the reverse, as in turning those blue eyes brown, well, sorry, the laser can't do that.
What would motivate someone with brown eyes to have them permanently altered by medical science to be blue? In this day and age, do we still as a society revere blue eyes as a part of the (sorry, it has to be said) ideal combo with Nordic blonde hair?
Sponsored message
Homer gave a more philosophical answer: "They eyes are the windows to the soul. A blue eye is not opaque, you can see deeply into it, and a brown eye is very opaque. I think there is something very meaningful about this idea of having open windows to the soul."
If you're looking to make your brown eyes into scientifically modified windows to your soul, you'll probably have to wait about three years for the procedure to be available in the U.S., which gives you plenty of time to sock away the $5,000 the laser surgery will likely cost.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
