Articles about Eye Health and Disease 2004
 

"Eye Jewelry" Implanted in the Netherlands

(April 2004)

Eye surgeons at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery have implanted tiny pieces of jewelry called "JewelEye" under the conjunctiva of the eyes of six women and one man in cosmetic surgery pioneered by ophthalmologists in Rotterdam. The procedure involves inserting a 3.5 mm (0.13 inch) wide piece of specially developed jewelry -- the range includes a glittering half-moon or heart -- into the eye's conjunctiva under local anesthetic at a cost of 500 to 1,000 euros ($610 to $1232). The implant is made of platinum.

The piece of jewelry is inserted in the conjunctiva -- the mucous membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelids and front of the eyeball -- in sterile conditions using an operating microscope in a procedure taking about 15 minutes.  Gerrit Melles, director of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery said, "Without doing any harm to the eye we can implant a jewel in the conjunctiva,  So far we have not seen any side effects or complications and we don't expect any in the future."

The Rotterdam-based institute, which develops new ocular surgical techniques in corneal, cataract and retinal surgery, developed and patented the jewelry made with special materials and the surgical procedure. The institute, which carries out the procedure in cooperation with an eye clinic near the city of Utrecht, said it has a waiting list for people who wanted the implant.

However, British eye experts disagree and fear cosmetic invasive surgery could harm the eye. Eyecare Trust spokesman John Dart, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said this type of surgery could irritate the eye. "The stud is quite likely to move around and migrate because the tissue in the conjunctiva is quite loose," he said. "Any movement is likely to cause inflammation. If it moves, there will be some scar tissue and you could get some bleeding."

Go to the Special Interest Section Page on "Eye Jewelry" for photos of "Eye Jewelry" and a discussion about risks of this procedure.

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