Latanoprost and eye color

[LowpressureG]

Hello. I was recently diagnosed with low tension glaucoma and have been prescribed Latanoprost eyedrops. I understand that one side effect is that it can turn blue eyes brown. I realize it’s ridiculous to worry about eyecolor when my eyesight is at risk, but after 61 years, having blue eyes feels like an integral part of my identity and it freaks me out that I may find myself someday with brown eyes. Have others on this forum experienced a change in eye color? At what point did it occur?

[patsymay13]

Hi 👋,I have blue eyes and they still the same colour , since using eyedrops since 2016 ,I have noticed that my eye lashes have grown and it looks like I am wearing mascara ,I understand your worry I was the same back then 😊

[LowpressureG in reply to patsymay13]

Good to hear. Thank you very much

[Kiara-52]

Hello 👋 I was diagnosed about a year ago and have been on latanoprost drops for just over a year now ( they have worked well for me so far!) I also was worried about eye colour changes as had been advised of the possibility of changing eye colour to brown. I have greenish blue eyes and I am happy to say Iv not noticed any change at all. My eyelashes have grown a bit longer but that’s it. So hopefully you will be the same. Good luck on your glaucoma journey.

[LowpressureG in reply to Kiara-52]

Thank you!

[Sunshine88888888]

Hi I’ve been taking latanoprost since 2000 and haven’t noticed any changes. So hopefully you will be ok too

[LowpressureG in reply to Sunshine88888888]

Thank you!

[Eyehelp5]

I’ve been on this for about 3 and a half years and haven’t noticed any difference to my blue eyes - equally had the same fears as you as our eyes make us who we are and connect us to family etc but wish I hadn’t worried so much about this at the time, I agonised over this point for some reason!

[LowpressureG in reply to Eyehelp5]

Thank you!

[Ritualhazard]

I have mixed eyes, kinda greyish, greenish, brownish. Nothing amazing but I haven’t noticed any change in the last four years of taking Latanoprost. Not even the long eye lashes sadly!

[LowpressureG in reply to Ritualhazard]

Thank you!

[BonnieMagic]

Haven’t been on them very long - probably about four months but my eyelashes have definitely grown. Unfortunately I also have developed a skin tag underneath one eye which contains an ingrowing eyelash! Not quite sure what to do about this.

[charles555]

I have written about this a few weeks ago and had no reply so good to be able to find answers here.

Just one thing : read the ''possible side effects'' carefully. Blue eyes almost never get affected by glaucoma medication. but the green eyes have a great chance of turning brownish and often temporarily , not all of them are permanent.

In terms of human eye colour, green and brown come from the same gene, while blue and grey are of the same gene. Blue and grey eyes do not turn brown naturally with age and with chemicals in eye drops, in ''not unheard of'' category.

We often put blue and green eyes together as light coloured eyes but these two are of different genes. Green eyed couples would produce green or brown eyed kids but not blue or grey eyes.

[Stairs10]

I was on latanoprost and it didn't noticeably change the colour of my eyes. The only visible effect ... and I've used so many drops that I don't know which caused it .... Is that the eye lids have darkened. Not so noticeable I guess in reality, but omg it's awful in photos.

All the best

[LowpressureG in reply to Stairs10]

Thanks for your reply, Stairs10. I’ve read about the eyelid darkening in a glaucoma FB page. The good news is that it is apparently reversible if you are eventually switched to a different eye drop, whereas the change in eye color is not.

[Stairs10 in reply to LowpressureG]

HiIf it is reversible that's good to hear. I stopped using drops in my left eye after the trabeculectomy so I look forward to that eye returning to normal again.

Thank you !

[whitedog]

Hi I started life with two brown eyes but my right eye began to change colour to green when I developed an inflammatory disease called Fuchs Heterochromic Iridocyclitis and secondary glaucoma.

After many years of taking various drops, my right eye then darkened again and now is darker than the left. My lashes got longer and also I've noticed my eybrows thinning but that might be due to rheumatoid arthritis or the meds I take for it.

[LowpressureG in reply to whitedog]

Thanks for your reply. That’s an interesting journey. My eyebrows have also thinned but the cause was hypothyroidism.

[Essddie]

Hi LPG, My sister and I have both been using Latanoprost and our eyes have changed colour. Hers were green and are now hazel, mine were blue and are now a dark greeny brown. Maybe it's a family thing with us. I understand your concern - I don't like the change of colour, but have come to accept it.