Extraocular implant

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An extraocular implant is a cosmetic implant involving a tiny piece of decorative jewelry which is implanted within the superficial, interpalpebral conjunctiva of the human eye.

1 Procedure
2 Jewelery
3 History and culture
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Procedure

Unlike subdermal implants and other new body modification procedures, the extraocular implant is currently only being performed in a medical clinic environment. The procedure is relatively quick, but it does require that both eyes be immobilized with anesthetic drops, and that the layers of the eyeball where the implant is situated must be separated by the injection of liquid. As very few people have undergone this procedure, and it is relatively new, the long term health effects are currently unknown.

[edit] Jewelery

Currently, the only supplier of jewelry for this implant is Hippocratech b.v., a company in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The implant is manufactured from a platinum alloy and is available in several basic shapes, including the Euro sign, heart, music note, clover or star shapes, with other shapes custom made by the company upon request. The size of the jewelery is about 1/8" (.32 cm) across.

[edit] History and culture

This procedure was developed in 2002 by the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery and is marketed there under the name JewelEye. The procedure is completely legal in the Netherlands, as long as it is performed by a licensed ophthalmologist under sterile conditions. Its legality outside of the Netherlands is currently untested.