Complications and management of cosmetic anterior chamber iris implants

Purpose: To report the management of complications due to cosmetic iris implantation. Design: Interventional case report. Methods: A 27-year-old female underwent bilateral anterior chamber NewColorIris (TM) implants in Panama to cosmetically change her eye colour. Two weeks later she presented as an eye emergency in London with corneal decompensation, raised intraocular pressure and significantly reduced vision. Bilateral explantation was performed with good postoperative recovery. Results: Three months following explantation, visual acuity had normalized and intraocular pressure was within the normal range without medication. Conclusions: Cosmetic iris implantation can lead to potentially sight threatening complications. This is the first case to be reported in the United Kingdom. There is a lack of published safety data and their cosmetic application should be cautioned against. (C) 2010 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.