A new European trend that is moving over to the U.S. is “eyeball jewelry implantation,” a procedure that places cosmetic jewelry under the superficial conjunctiva, the thin, filmy membrane that covers the inside of the eyelids and the white part of the eye.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology urges consumers to avoid placing in the eye any foreign body or material that is not proven to be medically safe or approved by the FDA.

Dangers of undergoing this procedure include:

Blindness from severe ocular infection or bleeding

Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding underneath the clear conjunctiva, turning the white part of the eye red)

Perforation/puncture of the eye

Conjunctivitis

If you have questions about this procedure, talk to your ophthalmologist at Scottsdale Eye Physicians and Surgeons.