Management of complications of cosmetic iris implants in a phakic eye: a case report and literature review.

PURPOSE: To report the intricacies of managing complications that arose out of cosmetic iris implants (BrightOcular) placement.

DESIGN: Interventional case report.

METHODS: A thirty-year-old gentleman presented with complaint of progressive loss of vision after having cosmetic iris implant surgery to change his eye colour. He then developed raised intraocular pressures and had a right eye trabeculectomy conducted with the implants in situ. Subsequently, he had implant removal surgery because of persistent implant-associated complications. The vision was impaired due to progressive corneal oedema and glaucoma. Various considerations were taken while planning for surgical intervention because of the extensive structural damage to the anterior segment of the eye.

CONCLUSION: This case report highlights that cosmetic iris implants are dangerous intraocular devices and management of the associated complications is also challenging. As these devices cause irreversible structural and functional damage, their use should be discouraged in normal eyes.