MadSci Network: Medicine

Subject: I wish to encompass and rephrase many questions about eye-color change.

Date: Sun Nov 8 19:54:30 2009
Posted by Charles
Grade level: nonaligned School: No school entered.
City: Toulon State/Province: No state entered. Country: France
Area of science: Medicine
ID: 1257735270.Me

(Please read before discarding!) I have often seen questions about a permanent 
way to change eye color, and the usual answers provided are: a reminder about 
what is known about genetic determination of eye-color (not simply a Mendelian 
heredity, different genes on different chromosomes for blue, green, brown, 
centrally brown iris, possible co-expression of genes with different 
proportions, producing thousands of possible nuances), reminder that a baby's 
eye color is unstable and that iris pigmentation can evolve through the years, 
that one must not mistake arcus senilis with "eyes becoming blue", that the use 
of Latanoprost and similar medications car darken the iris, that the only way 
to change one's eye color is to wear cosmetic contact lenses.
So let me put it otherwise: can you explain, by the detail, WHY it is NOT 
possible to do it. Why it's not feasible to micro-surgically scour the iris to 
remove a part of its melanin (of course, I'm aware of the risks, I wouldn't do 
it, my question is theoretical), and why there are no chemicals that can 
provoke a melanin dispersion. I've read in the British Journal of Ophthalmology 
about one unique case of unexplainable iris depigmentation in reaction to 
treatment by Levobunolol eye-drops , but it seems to be a non-reproducible 
oddity. Why is the iridal melanin so stable, so "etched", so impervious? Thank 
you in advance for your answer.

Re: I wish to encompass and rephrase many questions about eye-color change.

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