Health & WellnessOCT 29, 2025

"Risking Blindness": Actress Reveals She Had Controversial Surgery To Change Her Eye Color

An actress and singer has sparked serious concern after revealing that she underwent cosmetic surgery to change her eye color.

Ninel Conde traveled to New York for the procedure, saying she was inspired by friends who had undergone the same surgery and achieved “wonderful” results.

The Mexican star entered the Kerato clinic with brown eyes. When she left, they were bright green.

Actress Ninel Conde underwent cosmetic surgery in New York to permanently change her eye color

Image credits: ninelconde

“I’m really nervous, as you can probably imagine, because this is a big change. But I’m in the best hands,” Ninel said in a video filmed at the NY clinic.

The 49-year-old said she chose a green shade because it complemented her skin tone and hair color. She added that she had seen “beautiful and natural” results from other women who chose the same eye color.

After the procedure, Ninel hugged her doctor and told him she loved the color and how natural it looked.

“I was torn between gray eyes, olive green, or jade, but this was the best option. I strongly recommend it,” she said.

Medical experts warn the surgery is highly risky, with potential complications including infection and vision loss

Image credits: ninelconde

According to Gustavo Adolfo Infante, a reporter on the local Sale el Sol show, the Latin Grammy nominee paid $12,000 for the procedure.

“Changing your eye color is incredibly dangerous,” another journalist on the show warned.

In the comments under Ninel’s post, many echoed concerns about the risky procedure, known as keratopigmentation or corneal tattooing, which has been linked to vision loss.

Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)

“How dissatisfied with yourself do you have to be to modify yourself to that extent? Clearly, mental health is important,” one person wrote.

“I don’t understand the urge to destroy yourself,” said someone else.

Many others criticized Ninel, calling her irresponsible for promoting the procedure on Instagram to her more than 6 million followers. “Terrible that she’s promoting this practice given all the eye complications. DON’T DO IT — your eye health should always come first.”

Ninel changed her eye color from brown to olive green

Image credits: Olga Guryanova/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)

The website of the Kerato clinic advertises nine possible eye colors to choose from, including French Blue, Magical Grey, and Aqua Green.

In keratopigmentation, a person’s eye color is changed by using laser technology and inserting a special pigment in front of the natural pigment of their eyes.

As far as cosmetic surgeries go, the procedure may seem ideal: it takes approximately 30 minutes, is performed under topical anesthesia, and is not considered painful.

Image credits: ninelconde

However, enhancing your self-esteem this way does not come without risks. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, possible side effects of keratopigmentation include infection, inflammation, light sensitivity, leakage of the dye into the eye, and vision loss.

The procedure is often performed to correct a cosmetic disfigurement caused by disease or injury. In some cases, it’s also used to improve the vision of a damaged iris.

Many social media users criticized Ninel, calling her irresponsible for promoting the risky procedure

Image credits: ninelconde

“No surgery is free of risk. With purely cosmetic surgeries on the eye, it’s just not worth the risk when it comes to your good vision,” said Dr. JoAnn A. Giaconi of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Giaconi warned about social media personalities spreading misinformation about eye health and advised the public to never put anything in the eye that isn’t specifically made for that purpose.

“You’re putting yourself at risk for painful eye conditions or even blindness,” he said.

The Academy advises that the safest way to change eye color is through colored contact lenses, which should only be worn as prescribed, dispensed, and fitted by a qualified eye health professional.

Keratopigmentation involves using a laser to create space in the cornea, into which a color pigment is injected

Image credits: kerato_nyc

Dr. Guillermo Amescua, a professor of ophthalmology at Baskin Palmer Institute, told NBC that the cosmetic surgery is not FDA-approved and that little is known about its long-term consequences.

“You’re applying ink to the cornea that will stay there permanently. And that will change the structure of the cornea, and we don’t know how because it hasn’t been studied.

“When the ink is applied, it stays there forever, so if you are a 20-year-old or 30-year-old patient, what’s going to happen to those cornea cells 20 years from now, 30 years from now?”

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Dr. Amescua noted that if someone has their eyes permanently inked, it will become “very difficult” for their eye doctor to examine them in the future.

Dr. Alexander Movshovich, the founder of Kerato, said patients’ motivations for going under the knife vary, from feeling like they were born with the wrong eye color, to insecurity issues and following social media trends.

The surgery also carries risks such as light sensitivity and leakage of the dye into the eye

Image credits: ninelconde

Dr. Amescua emphasized the importance of doctors being aware of the psychological factors behind a patient’s decision to undergo cosmetic surgery.

“Even when they got the cosmetic procedure, whatever cosmetic procedure, they still are not happy with the procedure, in many of the cases, and they go into severe mental health issues,” he told NBC.

"We have to be very careful as physicians if we are going to do something cosmetic, and if we are going to do something with no long-term validation, we have to be extremely careful as patients and as physicians.”