Dark Spots + Discoloration
Dryness
Dullness + Uneven Skin
Loss of Firmness + Elasticity
Puffiness + Dark Circles
Wrinkles + Fine Lines

Change Your Eye Color Permanently? (the answer may surprise you!)

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, which is why it makes sense that you would want your eyes to be as vibrant and clear as possible.

But for those who are unhappy with the eye color we were given at birth, the answer has long been, “Tough luck.” Now, though, times have changed. Colored contact lenses, surgical and laser options are all options to change the color of their eyes.

The question remains: Are there natural ways to change eye color? The answer is, yes and no. There is no real home remedy to completely change your eye color, but there are supposed solutions to brightening or darkening your eye color.

What Determines Eye Color?

Like so many things about our appearances, eye color is genetic.

Most babies are born with blue eyes because they don’t yet have melanin. But their eyes will darken in the first three years if enough melanin is produced. However, this melanin production (or lack thereof) is completely genetic.

Children can have completely different eye colors to their parents but some rules do exist. If both parents have brown eyes, it’s most likely that their children will have brown eyes, as darker colors tend to dominate. For example, brown tends to win out over green, and green tends to win out over blue. But interestingly (due to the incredibly, complex universe that is genetics) it’s actually possible for two blue-eyed parents to produce a brown-eyed child.

Most people in the world tend to have brown eyes, followed by blue and grey-colored eyes. Green is the least common color, so if you’re green-eyed you’re a rare species!

From a technical standpoint, eye color is determined by melanin, the same pigment that determines skin color. Blue eyes have less melanin. Green eyes have a medium amount of melanin. Brown eyes have the most melanin.1

If you have light-colored eyes you’ve probably noticed that you’re quite sensitive to sunlight and can’t leave home without your sunglasses! This is because the chief job of melanin is to protect our eyes (and skin) from the sun.  Light eyes are much more sensitive to the sun than darker eyes purely because they have less pigment.

How Do I Increase Melanin?

If you have light eyes but always pined for Salma Hayek’s brown eyes, there may be an option for you. It’s said that some prescription lash-thickening products gradually add melanin over time. But, that’s just a theory. We don’t make ANY claims our lash extender can do this, nor would we recommend you use a product for anything beyond its intended use.

So, How Do I Remove the Melanin?

Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple. If you want to permanently change your eye color, then you will have to undergo surgery. Even then, be careful: Your eye is an organ, and with surgery, there’s always a risk.

Can I Use Honey to Lighten My Eyes?

If you Google, “How to change your eye color,” you’ll be greeted with a dozen or so articles suggesting that honey is the natural solution that you’re looking for. These articles suggest that you dilute honey in warm water and drop it into the eye.

Any time anyone other than a doctor tells you to put a food item in your eyes, it should give you serious pause. We recommend being extra skeptical about this advice, given that many of these websites have the same article, written in broken English copy and pasted. It looks as if it’s sound advice because of all the articles that come up with a search—but don’t be fooled. One voice that amplifies itself does not make it good advice. Like mom always said, “Just because everyone is jumping off a cliff, would you do it too?”

Why People Use Honey change eye color

Honey is a natural bleaching agent, which is why many believe that it is a good way to lighten eyes – again, temporarily.

By the same logic, the sun is a natural bleaching agent. Leave a stained shirt in the sun, and it will “sun bleach” the stain right out. Yet staring directly into the sun to lighten your eye color is dangerous. This is one of those cases where just because something is “natural,” it doesn’t make it good for you.

The Dangers of Honey

Honey can have bacteria in it, so when you apply it to your eyes, you may be introducing bacteria into a warm, moist environment. It’s the perfect recipe for infection. It is true that honey is used in some medicinal capacities – on corneal abrasions, for example, but that doesn’t mean that you should use it at home.2 You’re not dealing with the same sterile environment. And this puts you at a much higher chance for infection.

In the best case scenario with honey (where you don’t get an eye infection), you are still using something that has a different pH from your eyes. The pH of the human eye is approximately 7.5, which makes it a mild base. The pH of honey is around 3.9, which makes it an acid. Putting something that acidic in your eye, even when diluted, will cause irritation.

What’s The Verdict?

The short answer is: don’t do it. It may sound like the internet is giving you a resounding, “Go for it,” but that is coming from an echo chamber filled with bad information.

Colored Contact Lenses

A safe option, hooray! Sure, colored contacts aren’t a permanent solution. They’re something you have to remove at the end of every day, but they’re safe (as long as you keep them clean). They’re also the least invasive option if you’re looking to take your eyes from brown to blue, or to enhance your own, natural color.

Over the years, vast improvements have been made to color contacts. The colors are more nuanced and believable. So if you’re looking to take a totally new eye color out for a spin (without anything surgical), this is the way to do it.

Still Not Enough? You Might Be Interested in This New Laser Procedure

 change eye colorA new procedure is being developed that may mean that you can permanently change your eye color. The procedure has yet to be approved in the U.S., but it shows some promise.

Developed by Stroma Medical, this laser procedure can turn brown eyes blue, permanently. In an interview with CNN, Dr. Gregg Homer explained that under every brown eye, there is a blue eye.

“The only difference between a brown eye and a blue eye is a very thin layer of pigment on the surface,” Homer said.3

The company claims it has developed a laser treatment that works by disrupting the pigment layer of the eye. The effect is that the body begins to remove the tissue naturally. The procedure itself takes a mere 20 seconds, but you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for the full effect to emerge.

There is some skepticism from ophthalmologists about the safety of the procedure. Saj Khan, of the London Eye Hospital, told CNN, “The main concern with any procedure that involves releasing pigment inside the eye is that the pigment can clog up the normal drainage channels, which can, in turn, cause the pressure inside the eye to go up.” Ultimately, Dr. Khan said, it could cause glaucoma.

Anyone hoping for a quick, permanent eye color change will have to wait until this procedure is cleared by the FDA.

Not An Eye-deal Risk

In the meantime, save the honey for your tea, steer clear of the knife, and spring for colored contacts if you really want to change your eye color—be it dark to light or light to dark. They’re safe, cheap, easy to use, and nonpermanent. And, you can easily wear a different eye color every day!

Your eyes are not only the window to your soul, they’re your window onto this entire, beautiful world. Aren’t they far too important to meddle with?

Article updated: March 21, 2018

Sources
1 Is eye color determined by genetics?. Genetics Home Reference. 2016. Accessed December 9, 2016.
2 Najafi MEteraf-Oskouei T. Traditional and Modern Uses of Natural Honey in Human Diseases: A Review. PubMed Central (PMC). 2013. Accessed December 10, 2016.
3 Shadbolt P. Laser procedure can turn brown eyes blue. CNN. 2015.Accessed December 10, 2016.

Updated Privacy Policy

We've revised our Privacy Policy pursuant to GDPR.
Please take a moment to review.

This privacy policy is only applicable to European Union residents. We respect your privacy and appreciate the importance of your trust. As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), please review the following terms carefully.

1. General Terms

As more fully described below, we may collect and process certain information that is provided by you to us. We have a legal basis for collecting and processing such information because:

  • You have given us permission to do so;
  • We must provide services to you in conjunction with a purchase order that you have placed on our website; and/or
  • We are required to do so in order to comply with applicable law.

The Section below describes the types of information that we may collect from you and our business purposes for collecting such information.

2. What is Not Covered in this Policy?

Our website sometimes links to services run by other companies, such as paying for product orders through PayPal®. Those companies have their own privacy policies, so please remember that the information you provide to them will follow their policies and not ours.

3. Information that We Collect and Process.

Information Provided by You:

We may collect Personal Information that you provide to us. “Personal Information” is information that can be used to identify you individually, and includes items such as your name, home address, e-mail address, telephone number, demographic information, and/or payment information, such as your account or card number, if used to make a purchase from our Website. If you maintain an account on our website, Personal Information may also include a user name, password and answers to our security questions. The type of Personal Information that we may collect depends on your use of this Website and what information you provide to us. Please note that in order to purchase any of the Products offered from our Website, you will be required to provide us with your name, billing address, shipping address, e-mail address and credit card number. If you sign up for our Beverly Hills MD Loyalty Rewards Program, you will be required to provide us with your email and a password.

For more information on our Beverly Hills MD Loyalty Rewards Program, please see our Terms and Conditions here.

Analytical Information:

We and our third-party service providers may also use a variety of technologies that automatically or passively collect information about how this Website is accessed and used (known as “Usage Information”). “Usage Information” may include the type of browser and device you used to access our Website, your operating system and application version, the web pages accessed by you, the time you accessed these web pages, preceding web page views, and your use of any features or applications on this Website. Statistical data like this helps us understand what is interesting and relevant to our customers, so we can best adapt our content for our customers’ benefit.

We and our third-party service providers may also automatically collect an email address, IP address, location, carrier information or other unique identifier information from the computer, mobile device, technology or other device you use to access this Website. We may use this information to, amongst other things, administer this Website, help diagnose server problems, analyze trends, track web page movements, improve our services, match collected information to postal addresses, help identify you and your shopping cart, help us tailor special offers to you, and gather broad demographic information for collected use.

Cookies and Other Technology:

Like many sites, our Website employs cookies, JavaScript tags and Web beacons (also known as clear GIF technology or “action tags”) to speed your navigation of our Website, recognize you and your access privileges, and track usage of our Website. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored as text files by your Internet browser on your computer’s hard drive. We use both persistent cookies and third-party cookies. Persistent and third-party cookies enable us to track and target the interests of our customers to enhance your experience on our Website. Persistent cookies are used to make it easier for you to navigate our Website and remain on your hard drive for an extended period of time. Third party cookies are only used for short-term tracking.

Most Internet browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You may download an opt-out cookie here to disable any and all cookies we employ to track and enhance your user experience– however, your ability to use the website will be then limited and/or unavailable.

Please note that this opt-out is cookie-based (i.e., a cookie must be on your computer to tell our systems that you have opted-out). If you delete, block or otherwise restrict all cookies, this opt-out may not be effective. Further, because different computers and different Internet browsers all require their own version of the opt-out cookie, you must perform this opt-out process on all computers and browsers that you wish to be opted-out.

4. Our Use and Sharing of Your Information.

We use the information that we collect about you for a variety reasons, including the following:

  • Verifying your identity;
  • Fulfilling your product orders;
  • Processing any product returns, exchanges or subscriptions;
  • Responding to your questions;
  • Communicating with you about your purchases and activities on this Website;
  • Inviting you to participate in a survey regarding your health, our products or websites, which are always voluntary on your part;
  • Improving the Website, loyalty programs and our customers’ experience;
  • Sending you emails and other marketing communications; and/or
  • Sending notices or information.
  • We may also use and disclose any information that is aggregated or de-identified so that it does not identify you personally, in our discretion.

If you provide us with a payment card when placing an order on our website, we use third-parties to validate your card, authenticate your identity and “tokenize” your payment credentials to make your payments more secure. Your “tokenized” credentials will be stored in your account in order to help make future purchases more convenient. You may delete or edit the stored payment methods in your account at any time by visiting our website or contacting customer support.

We may share your Personal Information as follows:

  • With our vendors, consultants, agents, contractors, and other service providers or sub-processors (discussed more fully below) that we use to support our business;
  • To provide you with any information or services that you request;
  • To respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other legal process, or as otherwise required by law;
  • To exercise our legal rights or to defend ourselves against legal claims, to enforce our contracts, to investigate, respond to and resolve problems or inquiries (including governmental inquiries), or to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain;
  • In connection with an actual or potential merger, sale, acquisition, assignment, or transfer of all or part of our assets, affiliates, lines of business, or products and services, including at bankruptcy;
  • With our affiliates, subsidiaries, or parent companies; and
  • With your consent.

We contract with certain sub-processors to assist us in providing services to our customers. These sub-processors use the Personal Information that you submit to us in order to perform the following tasks:

  • Order processing at checkout;
  • Credit card authorization, tokenization and identity verification;
  • Order shipping and handling;
  • Emailing newsletters and other promotional materials for those customers on our mailing list;
  • Adapting content, advertisements and offers;
  • Storing and “backing up” our customer records.

5. Security and Your Information.

No data transmission over the Internet or website can be guaranteed to be secure from intrusion. However, we and our subprocessors maintain commercially reasonable physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your Personal Information in accordance with data protection legislative requirements. We follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) when handling credit card data. We also recommend that you take steps to protect against unauthorized access to your account through shared or public computers, devices, and applications.

6. How Long We Will Retain Your Information.

We will not retain your Personal Information for longer than necessary. Your e-mail address will be retained on our mailing list until you request that we stop sending you advertising communications. We will retain your other Personal Information in order to provide you with the ability to act on our Product warranties, to fulfill any Product subscriptions and/or for business record and legal purposes.

For example, we may keep just enough of your personal information to ensure that we comply with your request to erase your personal information, or to exercise or defend our legal claims.

7. Consent to Processing Information.

This Website is governed by and operated in accordance with the laws of the State of California and the United States, and is intended for the enjoyment of residents of the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that information we collect will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

8. Third Party Links and Services

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites and products and services. We do not control such linked websites and this Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any third-party website that you visit before you provide any information to that website’s owner.

9. Our Children’s Policy.

This Website is not directed to children under the age of sixteen (16). Children may not use our Website or purchase our products, and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of sixteen (16). We have no way of distinguishing the age of individuals who access our Website. If a child has provided us with personal information, the parent or guardian should contact us to remove the information and opt out of promotional opportunities using the contact link provided below.

10. Changes and Updates to our Privacy Policy.

We may change this Privacy Policy at any time without prior notice to you. Any changes that we make will be effective immediately upon our posting of the revised Privacy Policy on this Website. Your continued use of this Website constitutes your consent to any changes made. We will use your Personal Information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Policy in effect at the time you submitted your Personal Information, unless you later consent to a revised policy. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

11. Your Personal Data Rights pursuant to GDPR.

As you may know, GDPR provides European citizens certain rights with respect to the access and control of their personal data. For your convenience, we have summarized these rights here. In the event you wish to contact us regarding any of these rights, or for any other reason, please use the link provided in Section 12.

  • Access your personal data: You have the right to be informed of and request access to the personal data we process about you.
  • Update your personal data: You have the right to request that we amend or update personal data in our possession that is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Restrict the use of your personal data: You have the right to request that we stop processing all or some of your personal data.
  • Object to or complain about the use of your personal data: You have the right to object to us processing your personal data if we no longer have a legitimate or legal need to do so. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority regarding our use of your personal data.
  • Port your personal data: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data in our possession in a machine-readable format, as well as the right to transmit that personal data for use with another party’s service.
  • Erase your personal data: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data.

Please note that while we will try to accommodate your requests, there may be times when we might not be able to help. For example, if you have recently purchased a product from us and this product is still within its applicable Money Back Guarantee period, we will not be able to honor a request to erase your personal data unless you first agree to waive your right to the Money Back Guarantee.

12. Questions or Requests?

In the event that you have any questions regarding our use of your personal information or wish to submit a request to view, modify, erase or restrict our processing of your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer here.