(NaturalNews) Today's world tends to be obsessed with achieving physical perfection (albeit it's clearly in the eye of the beholder) to the point of significantly altering the body. From whitening teeth in unnatural white hues to a woman by the name of Blondie Bennett who has had five surgeries to increase her breast size with the end goal of looking like a Barbie doll, society is no stranger to extreme behaviors.

Perhaps the seemingly collective desire to look anything other than the natural self is why Dr. Gregg Homer's discovery, which turns brown eyes blue, is gaining a great deal of attention.

The procedure that can turn brown eyes blue

Dr. Homer, who works at the Stroma Medical Corporation in Laguna Beach, California explains that everyone has blue eyes underneath their brown ones. By using a laser that's tuned in to a special frequency, he's developed a way to remove existing eye pigmentation from the irises of brown-eyed people in order to reveal the blue shade underneath.

The 20-minute, approximately $5,000 procedure will turn eyes permanently blue, but note: the brown tissue never regenerates and once they're blue, there's no going back.

The dangers of purposely changing ones eye color

While many people are intrigued by the idea, Dr. Brian S. Boxer Wachler, ophthalmologist and director of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, California urges people to take precaution. "It's an intriguing concept," he says, "but what I'm not sure about is the safety and that's the big question mark on this technology." Eye inflammation and trauma, as well as the undesired result of patches of coloring that show through are all risks of such a procedure.

Rather than take the leap, Dr. Wachler encourages people to wait it out, saying that it's best to see long-term studies as to whether changing the eyes' natural lenses could lead to an increased risk of eye problems like cataracts or even glaucoma.

While Dr. Homer says he uses 15 "sophisticated" tests that ensure the health of eye tissues, he also adds a discouraging comment that sounds much like a disclaimer by saying, "Is it possible that something comes down the road? It's possible."

Contact lenses aren't necessarily a safer alternative to change eye color

For those seeking to change their eye color without such drastic measures, it may seem logical to consider contact lenses. Many contact lenses exist solely for the purpose changing eye colors rather than correcting vision and are available without prescription.

From changing brown eyes blue or even turning eyes into decorative tiger stripes or the logo of a favorite sports team, people must be careful. According to the FDA, "Places that advertise them as cosmetics or sell them without a prescription are breaking the law." Furthermore, the FDA explains that everything from pink eye to blindness may occur when using such contact lenses.

Sources for this article include:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyNCCCbByI

http://news.discovery.com/human/health/eye-color-change-111108.htm

http://www.nbcnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm275069.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

About the author:
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. >>> Click here to see more by Antonia