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You’ve been using eye drops for glaucoma and there’s something happening that you might not have anticipated: Your eye color appears to have slightly changed, from green to a brownish tint. Is this something you should be concerned about?
Turns out, this is a medication that changes eye color. In most cases, it’s not dangerous, just a disconcerting side effect.
What causes eye color changes?
The color of your eyes should stay the same your whole life—from about nine months of age when babies’ eye color settles, into older adulthood. However, there are a few rare circumstances that might change the hue of your irises according to Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty and Huda Sheheitli, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School:
- Medication
- Eye trauma
- Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis
- Viruses such as herpes zoster
- Iris melanoma
- Uveitis, an inflammatory condition of the eye
- Horner’s syndrome
If you notice a change, it’s time to contact your healthcare provider. “In adults, iris color changes need to be assessed by an eye doctor,” says Dr. Hilal-Campo.
Medications that can affect eye color
There are two types of medications that affect your eye color: glaucoma eye drops and eyelash serums. These changes are usually permanent. This side effect does not happen to everyone, and the change may be very subtle.
Glaucoma eye drops
Glaucoma drops can change eye color. These are known as prostaglandin analogues and are used to treat people who have a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. They work by lowering the pressure in the eye and include:
RELATED: See more prostaglandins
One of the potential side effects of this group of medications is the darkening of the iris. If your irises are a mix of colors such as green-brown, or blue/gray-brown, you might have the greatest chances of your eyes darkening while using these medications. “Prostaglandin eye drops can cause darkening of the lighter-colored peripheral iris, resulting in a more uniformly brown color,” says Dr. Sheheitli.
Other side effects of these medications include:
- Eye redness
- Swelling in the macula
- Longer, thicker, and darker eyelashes
Eyelash serums
Because some glaucoma medications can cause your eyelashes to grow, they’re also sold as eyelash growth serums. For example, Latisse contains the same active ingredient as the glaucoma medication Lumigan: bimatoprost. Latisse is used to treat a condition called hypotrichosis, where you have fewer eyelashes than usual. It can cause permanent eye color changes in some people who use it.
Apart from Latisse eye color changes, other side effects include:
- Eye irritation and itching
- Dry eyes
- Eyelid redness
Latisse is only available by prescription. You can purchase other over-the-counter (OTC) eyelash growth serums such as Aphro Celina Eyelash and Rapidlash. These also are prostaglandin analogues, but unlike Latisse, they aren’t approved by the FDA.
Other ways to change eye color
So what if you want to purposefully change your eye color? Can you do it on your own? According to the experts, it’s possible, but there are some things to consider.
There are no safe natural remedies that will change your eye color at home, says Dr. Hilal-Campo. Attempting to do this can cause damage to your eyes—and even cause blindness.
“The easiest and most common way to change your eye color temporarily is to wear
contact lenses,” explains Dr. Sheheitli, “but color-changing contact lenses may harm your eyes if you don’t use them right.” For example, if the contact doesn’t fit your eye correctly it can actually scrape the outer layer of your eye, known as the cornea, and can lead to scarring. Make sure you get a prescription from a licensed professional, and avoid buying colored contacts from beauty supply companies.
For a more permanent change, surgery is an option. There are two main types. Keratopigmentation is a procedure that inserts a different pigment into your eye. Iris implant surgery inserts a prosthetic iris of a different color. It was originally used to treat eye injuries and other conditions, but according to Dr. Sheheitli, has become popular for cosmetic reasons. However, Dr. Hilal Campo warns that none of these procedures are FDA-approved. Additionally, there is a risk of serious eye complications that can occur such as vision loss, glaucoma, and inflammation.
If you notice your eyes have a different color to them after using medications, you should check in with your prescribing physician. But most of the time, this side effect shouldn’t cause any other health concerns, and may not be obvious to others.
