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New laser surgery to get blue eyes emerging

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-11-23 14:13

SAN FRANCISCO - People who want to turn their eye colors blue permanently now have a chance as a US medical company has promoted a new laser surgery to achieve the change.

Stroma Medical, a US company based in southern California, has helped at least 37 patients to change their eye color from brown to blue with a laser surgery in around 20 seconds, according to an online report posted on Tuesday.

The laser works to eliminate the brown melanin -- the pigment which dyes hair and skin -- from the surface of the iris.

Without the brown melanin, when light consequently enters and scatters in the stroma -- the little fibers look like bicycle spokes in light-colored eyes, blue eyes appear.

In an earlier interview with CNN, the company's representative Dr. Gregg Homer said the laser is so weak that the eyes won't bear injuries from it. Nevertheless, the medical industry and ophthalmologists still raised concerns about the irreversibility of the surgery.

Though the surgery currently stands at a price as high as approximate $5,000, many netizens asked for more information on the company's facebook. Some are eager to see the technology released in London and Mexico.

However, the new laser is in clinical trials, Stroma Medical said in their most recent reply on Facebook on Nov 3.

So far, the company's website has been hung up. It said a new website will be launched soon.

Early reports said the new technology is yet to gain approval from US regulatory bodies.

It seems that blue eye seekers have to wait longer until the new laser is more advanced and gains wider acceptance.

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