In an era where beauty trends emerge and evolve at the pace of a swipe, a new cosmetic craze is putting the most delicate organ in the human body at serious risk: the eye. Spurred by viral TikTok videos and influencers documenting transformations with glistening blue or green irises, Americans are traveling abroad in growing numbers to undergo permanent eye color surgery — procedures that, while fashionable, are anything but safe.

“These aren’t beauty treatments — they’re medical procedures masquerading as cosmetic enhancements,” said Emilio M. Justo, M.D., founder of the Arizona Eye Institute & Cosmetic Laser Center . “Once the damage is done, there’s often no going back. Patients who undergo these surgeries abroad are playing Russian roulette with their vision.”

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