Alexanderr
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INTRODUCTION
I’ve been researching the company, its procedure, and the technology behind it for well over a year now and in that time frame, I’ve seen an increase in interest toward it. Coming with that, of course, a lot of questions and critique. With this thread, I intend to answer some frequently asked questions and address the commonly mentioned alternatives to STRŌMA in different countries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS IT?
STRŌMA is essentially a laser procedure that changes your eye color from natural brown to natural hazel, lighter brown, grey, blue or green color. The number of treatments required to achieve your desired color depends on how dark the eye is preoperatively and how light the eye color you which to achieve is. The procedure is still in clinical trials.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In humans, iris pigmentation ranges from light brown to black, and, depending on how light scatters in the iris stroma through the Tyndall effect, the iris can appear blue, green, or hazel. Basically, under every brown eye is a blue or green appearing eye color in natural light. This is true regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin.
The STRŌMA Laser procedure generates a low-energy laser beam that passes through the clear cornea of the eye and slightly heats the brown pigment on the front surface of the iris. This heating initiates a natural metabolic process whereby scavenger cells are dispatched through the bloodstream to the iris surface and gradually digest the pigment and remove it through the iris and bloodstream, revealing the natural underlying blue or green eye. The noninvasive surgical procedure combines eye mapping, eye tracking, and a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser to capture, track, and change the color of the iris safely and effectively.
MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION
SAFETY
It’s important to remember, no medical procedure is 100% safe 100% of the time. A person can be injured with a tongue depressor or a thermometer if used improperly. That being said, the procedure is undergoing clinical trials and has been, successful, for the last few years.
Getting STRŌMA should not increase your chances of developing eye-related cancers nor macular degeneration. It shouldn’t increase sensitivity to light either. Yes, people with light eyes are typically more sensitive to light than people with dark eyes, but this is not because of the color of their eyes. People with light eyes have less pigment on the front surface of their irises, but they also have less pigment throughout their eyes, including less pigment protecting the retinas in the backs of their eyes. As a result, these eyes are more sensitive to light than the more heavily pigmented retinas of people with dark eyes. STRŌMA does not remove pigment from or otherwise affect the retina, so it would not increase light sensitivity.
As for concerns regarding it blinding you... STRŌMA’s low energy laser only treats the iris (with high-accuracy). It does not enter the pupil or treat any portion of the inside of the eye, which is where important components of vision are located. Apart from that, the laser is weak enough to not affect your vision even if it did go over your pupil.
It is also important to note that the pigment is carried away by the vascular system after treatment, it is not released into the anterior chamber, where it could clog the trabecular meshwork, consequently increasing eye pressure.
The purpose of their formal clinical trials is to quantify the risk (and degree) of injury and modify the procedure to minimize such risks. STRŌMA has undertaken a detailed and protracted clinical trial process to ensure that any such risk from the procedure is minimized.
EARLY RESULTS
Significant laboratory and animal testing were completed before the first-in-human trial of this technology. To date, 11 years of animal data and 7 years of human data have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the STRŌMA procedure.
In human trials, the clinical process involved treating superior (3 to 4 clock hours) segments at first, and then full irides as well as altering the energy applied to the iris to minimize adverse events and to help define key parameters of success. As greater energy was introduced into the eye, more iris pigment was released through the vasculature.
During the first-in-human evaluation of the procedure, conducted in November 2018 at two sites in Central America, 14 patients in Costa Rica and 20 patients in Panama received treatment in only a pie-shaped portion of the iris equivalent to 3 or 4 clock hours. A full-iris trial was completed in March 2019, with 30 patients receiving treatment of the whole iris.
What can be shared at this time is the excellent safety profile demonstrated in the 64 patients who have been treated so far. Each patient went through rigorous testing, including an external eye examination; dry eye assessment; visual acuity, color vision, and contrast sensitivity testing; retinal health assessment, including assessment for age-related macular degeneration; glaucoma testing, including IOP, iridocorneal angle, and trabecular meshwork pigmentation; OCT imaging; assessment of atrophy and transillumination defects; pupillary health assessment, including size, shape, and reactivity; and measurements of endothelial loss and damage, crystalline lens health, anterior chamber cell and flare, and treatment efficacy, including saturation and hue.
ALL METHODS OF EYE COLOR CHANGE
1. COLORED CONTACTS
Colored contact lenses provide temporary eye color change if and when they are worn. The advantages of colored contact lenses are that they: permit the user to test run various eye colors without any permanent commitment; do not require any surgical procedures, and can look natural if brown contact lenses are used to make blue or green eyes appear brown. The disadvantages of colored contact lenses are that they: can appear unnatural if blue or green contact lenses are used to make brown eyes appear blue or green; they provide only temporary color change; are poorly tolerated by about 50% of the population due to irritation and discomfort; may cause eye infections, corneal abrasions, and eye disorders; and because the size of the non-colored lens center is fixed, it does not dilate with the pupil of the eye, which can interfere with night vision.
2. COLORED IRIS IMPLANTS
Colored iris implants are colored (brown, blue, or green) discs in the shape of an iris that is implanted through the cornea and sutured onto the iris surface. The advantages of colored iris implants are that they: provide permanent eye color change if not removed; and can look somewhat natural if brown implants are used to make blue or green eyes appear brown. The disadvantages of colored iris implants are that they: look highly unnatural if blue or green implants are used to make brown eyes appear blue or green; are extremely painful (according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and they can cause many serious eye disorders (e.g., elevated intraocular pressure, glaucoma, endothelial loss, decomposition of iris tissue, and even vision loss), and they often must be removed during the first year to preserve the patient’s vision.
3. CORNEAL PIGMENTATION
Corneal pigmentation involves injecting or tattooing pigments into the cornea to simulate a colored iris, creating a kind of colored contact lens embedded into the cornea. It’s idiotic and should be avoided.
4. LASER EYE COLOR CHANGE
Laser eye color change involves applying a laser beam to the iris of the eye to stimulate the removal of pigment from the iris surface and reveal the natural blue or green color lying beneath the pigment. The procedure was invented by STRŌMA’s founder, Dr. Gregg Homer, and his first patents were filed in early 2001 and his latest in 2020. The advantages of STRŌMA laser color change are that: it is surgically non-invasive; its effects should be permanent; it does not interfere with vision in dilated pupils; it creates a completely natural-looking blue, green, grey, hazel, or light brown iris (because it is a completely natural blue, green, grey, hazel, or light brown iris); it should be well-tolerated by patients; it should be pain-free, and it should be safe. The only disadvantage of STRŌMA laser color change so far is that it cannot reverse the color-change process by, for example, changing a green or blue eye into a brown eye.
Do note, however, that the description of laser eye color change above is specific to the STRŌMA procedure.
Since STRŌMA first announced its procedure in late 2011, several black market profiteers have emerged in Spain, Turkey, Argentina, and Mexico, and elsewhere. Most of these being mentioned here very frequently as a presumably better, cheaper alternative to STRŌMA. These black market operators use off-the-shelf lasers designed for unrelated procedures in an attempt to perform laser eye color change. Most of these lasers have not been clinically studied for safety or efficacy of eye color change, and to the best of my knowledge, none of them has been approved by any government agency for eye color change.
The STRŌMA laser was specifically designed and built for eye color change. It is a completely different device than the lasers used in the black markets. The STRŌMA laser produces a unique and proprietary laser beam that achieves better cosmetic outcomes, without posing a risk of injury to the eye. Whereas the black market laser beams are guided by hand, the Strōma laser beam is guided by high-speed mirrors, which in turn, are guided by a sophisticated and proprietary computer diagnostics program that moderates the energy, position, and focus of every laser spot. Whereas the black market lasers cannot detect sudden head or eye movement, the STRŌMA laser contains sophisticated and proprietary imaging systems to detect any such movement and interrupt or adjust the laser beam within fractions of a second. The STRŌMA detection system helps to ensure a safe and efficacious procedure every time.
Why even want light eyes?
Well, light eyes are overwhelmingly preferred over dark eyes by men and women alike. They are associated with beauty, youth, and sometimes coldness. They provide a great contrast between your hair, eyebrows, skin, and eyes. Making them more captivating than their dark(er) counterparts. Another part of their appeal could be explained by their rarity, most humans on earth don’t have light eyes.
RELEASE DATE
Sadly, there’s currently not a commercial release date available. The anticipated milestones trough commercial release as follows:
PRESENTATION VIDEO BY STRŌMA ® MEDICAL‘S FOUNDER EXPLAINING THE PROCEDURE
TLDR:
Under every brown eye is a blue or green appearing eye color in natural light. This is true regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin.
The STRŌMA Laser procedure generates a low-energy laser beam that passes through the clear cornea of the eye and slightly heats the brown pigment on the front surface of the iris. This heating initiates a natural metabolic process whereby scavenger cells are dispatched through the bloodstream to the iris surface and gradually digest the pigment and remove it through the iris and bloodstream, revealing the natural underlying blue or green eyes.
US clinical trials of this technology are planned. And in the meantime, there is strong evidence from animal and international human studies to suggest that the Strōma treatment can safely, effectively, and permanently change iris color. The company has good multinational intellectual property coverage and a clear regulatory and clinical pathway.
I’ve been researching the company, its procedure, and the technology behind it for well over a year now and in that time frame, I’ve seen an increase in interest toward it. Coming with that, of course, a lot of questions and critique. With this thread, I intend to answer some frequently asked questions and address the commonly mentioned alternatives to STRŌMA in different countries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is it?
- How does it work?
- Safety
- Early results
- All methods of eye color change
- Why get the procedure?
- Release date
- Presentation video by STRŌMA ® MEDICAL
- TLDR
WHAT IS IT?
STRŌMA is essentially a laser procedure that changes your eye color from natural brown to natural hazel, lighter brown, grey, blue or green color. The number of treatments required to achieve your desired color depends on how dark the eye is preoperatively and how light the eye color you which to achieve is. The procedure is still in clinical trials.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In humans, iris pigmentation ranges from light brown to black, and, depending on how light scatters in the iris stroma through the Tyndall effect, the iris can appear blue, green, or hazel. Basically, under every brown eye is a blue or green appearing eye color in natural light. This is true regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin.
The STRŌMA Laser procedure generates a low-energy laser beam that passes through the clear cornea of the eye and slightly heats the brown pigment on the front surface of the iris. This heating initiates a natural metabolic process whereby scavenger cells are dispatched through the bloodstream to the iris surface and gradually digest the pigment and remove it through the iris and bloodstream, revealing the natural underlying blue or green eye. The noninvasive surgical procedure combines eye mapping, eye tracking, and a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser to capture, track, and change the color of the iris safely and effectively.
MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION
During the procedure, a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser (532-nm wavelength) is used to raise and lower the temperature of the anterior iris pigment a total of 15 times over 30 seconds. The photothermolysis process initiated by the laser treatment stimulates the anterior iris pigment, and cytokine and macrophage responses to the treatment result in pigment removal through the vasculature, revealing the underlying gray stromal fibers of the iris. Depending on the amount of pigment removed, when light shines on the stromal fibers, a shade of blue, green, or hazel is reflected, giving the eye its blue, green, or hazel appearance.
But because the procedure can only reveal the natural underlying grey stromal fibers, the patient cannot choose a blue or green eye, and the procedure cannot change a blue eye to green or a green eye to blue. STRŌMA has, however, developed a patented method for predicting the underlying color so the patient knows what to expect.
SAFETY
It’s important to remember, no medical procedure is 100% safe 100% of the time. A person can be injured with a tongue depressor or a thermometer if used improperly. That being said, the procedure is undergoing clinical trials and has been, successful, for the last few years.
Getting STRŌMA should not increase your chances of developing eye-related cancers nor macular degeneration. It shouldn’t increase sensitivity to light either. Yes, people with light eyes are typically more sensitive to light than people with dark eyes, but this is not because of the color of their eyes. People with light eyes have less pigment on the front surface of their irises, but they also have less pigment throughout their eyes, including less pigment protecting the retinas in the backs of their eyes. As a result, these eyes are more sensitive to light than the more heavily pigmented retinas of people with dark eyes. STRŌMA does not remove pigment from or otherwise affect the retina, so it would not increase light sensitivity.
As for concerns regarding it blinding you... STRŌMA’s low energy laser only treats the iris (with high-accuracy). It does not enter the pupil or treat any portion of the inside of the eye, which is where important components of vision are located. Apart from that, the laser is weak enough to not affect your vision even if it did go over your pupil.
It is also important to note that the pigment is carried away by the vascular system after treatment, it is not released into the anterior chamber, where it could clog the trabecular meshwork, consequently increasing eye pressure.
The purpose of their formal clinical trials is to quantify the risk (and degree) of injury and modify the procedure to minimize such risks. STRŌMA has undertaken a detailed and protracted clinical trial process to ensure that any such risk from the procedure is minimized.
EARLY RESULTS
Significant laboratory and animal testing were completed before the first-in-human trial of this technology. To date, 11 years of animal data and 7 years of human data have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the STRŌMA procedure.
In human trials, the clinical process involved treating superior (3 to 4 clock hours) segments at first, and then full irides as well as altering the energy applied to the iris to minimize adverse events and to help define key parameters of success. As greater energy was introduced into the eye, more iris pigment was released through the vasculature.
During the first-in-human evaluation of the procedure, conducted in November 2018 at two sites in Central America, 14 patients in Costa Rica and 20 patients in Panama received treatment in only a pie-shaped portion of the iris equivalent to 3 or 4 clock hours. A full-iris trial was completed in March 2019, with 30 patients receiving treatment of the whole iris.
What can be shared at this time is the excellent safety profile demonstrated in the 64 patients who have been treated so far. Each patient went through rigorous testing, including an external eye examination; dry eye assessment; visual acuity, color vision, and contrast sensitivity testing; retinal health assessment, including assessment for age-related macular degeneration; glaucoma testing, including IOP, iridocorneal angle, and trabecular meshwork pigmentation; OCT imaging; assessment of atrophy and transillumination defects; pupillary health assessment, including size, shape, and reactivity; and measurements of endothelial loss and damage, crystalline lens health, anterior chamber cell and flare, and treatment efficacy, including saturation and hue.
ALL METHODS OF EYE COLOR CHANGE
1. COLORED CONTACTS
Colored contact lenses provide temporary eye color change if and when they are worn. The advantages of colored contact lenses are that they: permit the user to test run various eye colors without any permanent commitment; do not require any surgical procedures, and can look natural if brown contact lenses are used to make blue or green eyes appear brown. The disadvantages of colored contact lenses are that they: can appear unnatural if blue or green contact lenses are used to make brown eyes appear blue or green; they provide only temporary color change; are poorly tolerated by about 50% of the population due to irritation and discomfort; may cause eye infections, corneal abrasions, and eye disorders; and because the size of the non-colored lens center is fixed, it does not dilate with the pupil of the eye, which can interfere with night vision.
2. COLORED IRIS IMPLANTS
Colored iris implants are colored (brown, blue, or green) discs in the shape of an iris that is implanted through the cornea and sutured onto the iris surface. The advantages of colored iris implants are that they: provide permanent eye color change if not removed; and can look somewhat natural if brown implants are used to make blue or green eyes appear brown. The disadvantages of colored iris implants are that they: look highly unnatural if blue or green implants are used to make brown eyes appear blue or green; are extremely painful (according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and they can cause many serious eye disorders (e.g., elevated intraocular pressure, glaucoma, endothelial loss, decomposition of iris tissue, and even vision loss), and they often must be removed during the first year to preserve the patient’s vision.
3. CORNEAL PIGMENTATION
Corneal pigmentation involves injecting or tattooing pigments into the cornea to simulate a colored iris, creating a kind of colored contact lens embedded into the cornea. It’s idiotic and should be avoided.
4. LASER EYE COLOR CHANGE
Laser eye color change involves applying a laser beam to the iris of the eye to stimulate the removal of pigment from the iris surface and reveal the natural blue or green color lying beneath the pigment. The procedure was invented by STRŌMA’s founder, Dr. Gregg Homer, and his first patents were filed in early 2001 and his latest in 2020. The advantages of STRŌMA laser color change are that: it is surgically non-invasive; its effects should be permanent; it does not interfere with vision in dilated pupils; it creates a completely natural-looking blue, green, grey, hazel, or light brown iris (because it is a completely natural blue, green, grey, hazel, or light brown iris); it should be well-tolerated by patients; it should be pain-free, and it should be safe. The only disadvantage of STRŌMA laser color change so far is that it cannot reverse the color-change process by, for example, changing a green or blue eye into a brown eye.
Do note, however, that the description of laser eye color change above is specific to the STRŌMA procedure.
Since STRŌMA first announced its procedure in late 2011, several black market profiteers have emerged in Spain, Turkey, Argentina, and Mexico, and elsewhere. Most of these being mentioned here very frequently as a presumably better, cheaper alternative to STRŌMA. These black market operators use off-the-shelf lasers designed for unrelated procedures in an attempt to perform laser eye color change. Most of these lasers have not been clinically studied for safety or efficacy of eye color change, and to the best of my knowledge, none of them has been approved by any government agency for eye color change.
The STRŌMA laser was specifically designed and built for eye color change. It is a completely different device than the lasers used in the black markets. The STRŌMA laser produces a unique and proprietary laser beam that achieves better cosmetic outcomes, without posing a risk of injury to the eye. Whereas the black market laser beams are guided by hand, the Strōma laser beam is guided by high-speed mirrors, which in turn, are guided by a sophisticated and proprietary computer diagnostics program that moderates the energy, position, and focus of every laser spot. Whereas the black market lasers cannot detect sudden head or eye movement, the STRŌMA laser contains sophisticated and proprietary imaging systems to detect any such movement and interrupt or adjust the laser beam within fractions of a second. The STRŌMA detection system helps to ensure a safe and efficacious procedure every time.
Why even want light eyes?
Well, light eyes are overwhelmingly preferred over dark eyes by men and women alike. They are associated with beauty, youth, and sometimes coldness. They provide a great contrast between your hair, eyebrows, skin, and eyes. Making them more captivating than their dark(er) counterparts. Another part of their appeal could be explained by their rarity, most humans on earth don’t have light eyes.
RELEASE DATE
Sadly, there’s currently not a commercial release date available. The anticipated milestones trough commercial release as follows:
- Complete construction of initial commercial STRŌMA Laser System.
- Commence clinical trials with initial commercial STRŌMA Lasers on 150-200 patients among 3-4 international study centers.
- Secure regulatory approval of the initial commercial STRŌMA Laser System outside of the United States.
- Release STRŌMA Laser procedure outside the U.S. (e.g., European Union, Asia, Middle East, Canada, and Central and South America).
- Complete U.S. clinical trials for the STRŌMA Laser procedure.
- Release STRŌMA Laser procedure in the U.S.
PRESENTATION VIDEO BY STRŌMA ® MEDICAL‘S FOUNDER EXPLAINING THE PROCEDURE
TLDR:
Under every brown eye is a blue or green appearing eye color in natural light. This is true regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin.
The STRŌMA Laser procedure generates a low-energy laser beam that passes through the clear cornea of the eye and slightly heats the brown pigment on the front surface of the iris. This heating initiates a natural metabolic process whereby scavenger cells are dispatched through the bloodstream to the iris surface and gradually digest the pigment and remove it through the iris and bloodstream, revealing the natural underlying blue or green eyes.
US clinical trials of this technology are planned. And in the meantime, there is strong evidence from animal and international human studies to suggest that the Strōma treatment can safely, effectively, and permanently change iris color. The company has good multinational intellectual property coverage and a clear regulatory and clinical pathway.
