The ‘eyes’ have it: Reasons you should avoid color-changing eye drops

By Margaret Wang French, M.D.

Department of Ophthalmology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Fads tend to change in the blink of an eye. This year, some people are being drawn to an eye-catching social media trend of using eye drops that promise to lighten or darken your eye color.

The reality is that over-the-counter eye drops cannot change your eye color. These drops being advertised online are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can cause significant eye damage. In fact, the American Optometric Association released an alert in August 2024 advising consumers to consult with a certified doctor before using any eye drops that claim to change your eye color.

The eyes are the windows to the brain, and their delicate muscles and tissues can be easily damaged and infected. With thousands of blood vessels and nerves, the eyes are connected to the rest of the body in intricate ways. The eye itself has multiple layers – including the cornea, retina, and sclera – that work together to protect vision and process light. Anything that enters the eye, from drops to foreign particles, can easily make its way into the bloodstream.

The irises, which give the eyes their color, are especially important. Irises contract and expand to let in an appropriate amount of light. They’re the reason why we can see in dimly lit rooms and on bright summer days.

For cosplayers, fun-seekers, and people looking for an aesthetic change, you can safely change your eye color with FDA-approved colored contact lenses fitted to your unique eyes by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Prescription contacts may cost more than gimmicky eye drops found online, but they’ll protect your vision – and that’s priceless.

Drops claiming to change eye color are not FDA-approved

As an ophthalmologist, I do not recommend using any eye drops that are not FDA-approved or created by a 503B-approved compound pharmacy. When a product is FDA-approved, it means that it’s been evaluated for:

• Safety: Is this product safe for humans to use?
• Quality: Does the product meet high standards for consistency, purity, and reliability in manufacturing?
• Efficacy: Does the product effectively perform its intended function or provide the benefits it claims?

A 503B compounding pharmacy is a special center that makes large batches of medicines, usually for hospitals or clinics, instead of for individual patients. These pharmacies are closely watched by the FDA to make sure their products are safe and made with high-quality standards.

It’s especially important to adhere to safety guidelines for eye drops after a 2023 recall of certain over-the-counter brands of artificial tears lubricant eye drops and artificial eye ointment. These were tainted due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacterium. The strain that contaminated these medications was particularly virulent and had never been seen in the U.S. before the outbreak. It just goes to show that even heavily reviewed products can become compromised – and the risk to your health is much higher for substances that are not under federal review.

No science to support claims that eye drops change eye color

To change the color of the eye, pigment would have to be removed or destroyed. But if you look at the ingredients list for drops claiming to change eye color, you’ll find they mostly contain borate buffers, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride. None of these chemicals does what the eye drops claim, and they have no effect on the pigments in the iris.

Even if color-changing eye drops worked as advertised, they’d be unsafe. There is no way to remove pigment from the eye without causing inflammation or damage. The eye drops could also destroy melanocytes – color-producing cells – located in the delicate retina and iris, causing additional inflammation.

The pigment in your iris, once removed from the color-carrying cells of your eye, would also have to go somewhere. It could clog up the trabecular meshwork (drainage system of the eye) or accumulate in other parts of the eye, causing an increase in pressure. Increased pressure can lead to glaucoma, which is when the optic nerve becomes damaged due to the high pressure inside the eye.

Darkening eye drops have negative side effects

Many of the eye drops claiming to change eye color that have gone viral on social media are primarily for lightening the eye. Some people use a different kind of eye drop, mainly prescribed for glaucoma, that may also darken their irises or grow their eyelashes.

Prostaglandin analog (PGA) eye drops reduce eye pressure in people with glaucoma by increasing fluid drainage from the eye. Some side effects include darkening the irises and increasing eyelash growth – prostaglandin can increase melanin production in the iris and make your hair grow faster. Many people misuse these drops for cosmetic purposes.

While PGA eye drops are safe for patients with glaucoma when used as prescribed, the drops can have harmful side effects, including

-Reactivation of uveitis

-Increased risk of herpes infection in the cornea

-Darkening skin around the eye

-Inflammation

Also, while some color-changing eye drops claim to have effects that last only a few weeks or months, color changes from PGA eye drops are permanent.

What about colored contact lenses?

The only safe way to temporarily change your eye color is by wearing colored contact lenses that are FDA-approved and prescribed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. You need a prescription for colored contact lenses for the same reason that you avoid wearing clothes that don’t fit. Imagine the chafing and discomfort but on the delicate surface of your eye.

Any contact lens should be properly fitted by an expert. Over-the-counter contact lenses can cause inflammation and scarring. Contact lenses that are not FDA-approved and properly fitted can cause hypoxia, which is when the cornea doesn’t get enough oxygen. Hypoxia can lead to serious complications such as corneal swelling, discomfort, and an increased risk of infection.

Lenses that are not FDA-approved are also more prone to contamination and can cause infection of the eye with possible permanent visual problems. Once you get your colored contact lenses, follow the instructions on the packaging and from your provider. Wash your hands before handling the lenses and clean the lenses after every removal with an FDA-approved saline solution.

It isn’t safe to share contact lenses. Contact lenses are fitted to your unique eye shape, and sharing lenses can distribute bacteria. Contact lens use comes with a risk of infection. Talk with a health care provider right away if you have symptoms such as:

• Redness
• Irritation
• Persistent pain in the eye
• Decreased vision

Does anyone need to change their eye color?

No one has a medical need to turn their brown eyes blue or hazel or green. However, if the iris is damaged or missing due to trauma or a genetic condition called aniridia, patients will have vision problems and light sensitivity.

An eye surgeon can replace the iris with a colored silicone implant that acts like a natural iris, controlling the amount of light entering the eye. Currently, the HumanOptics Artificial Iris is the only FDA-approved artificial iris for patients with missing and damaged irises; it is not approved for cosmetic procedures.

Iris implants to change color can cause uveitis, which is when the middle of the eye becomes inflamed. Uveitis causes about 10% of cases of blindness in the U.S. and can be a complication with any iris implant.

Corneal tattooing (keratopigmentation) is a surgical procedure to treat glare, photophobia (sensitivity to light), and diplopia (double vision) by reducing the amount of light entering the eye and improve the look of ocular scarring. For corneal tattooing, a surgeon will either inject ink or apply a staining process to the cornea. This helps to darken or color certain areas, making it easier for patients to see while also improving the appearance of their eyes.

This is not to be confused with the dangerous trend of eyeball tattooing, which involves injecting ink into the sclera (the white part of the eye). Attempting to change the color of your eyeball poses significant health risks such as infection, inflammation, or even vision loss.

Though iris implants, corneal tattooing, and colored contacts can provide an eye-catching change for people who need them, most people will be safer by sticking with their natural eye color.

If you are seeking a change to address a medical need or to spice up your look, talk with an optometrist or ophthalmologist first. Social media influencers and Dr. Google can’t be trusted to give you the safe and accurate information you need to protect your vision.