A new TikTok trend has caught the attention of health professionals and social media users alike with young people experimenting with highly unregulated eye drops.
The eye drops, often sold online, claimed to alter eye colour by changing the amount of melanin in the iris. The trend gained momentum as viral videos showed the colour transformation.
Ali Mearza, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at OCL Vision, has warned that the practice could lead to infections, corneal damage, and in extreme cases, vision loss.
‘The allure of changing one’s eye colour may seem harmless, but these eye drops can contain harmful ingredients that are not approved for such use,’ he cautioned.
Health experts have called on social media platforms to intervene and put a stop to the promotion of unsafe products and practices.
‘We need to hold brands and influencers accountable for the information they share. Our health should never be compromised for the sake of a trend,’ Mearza added.
