An eye for fashion

It is daring and eye-catching - but not for the squeamish.

Eyeball jewellery, the latest fashion trend set to sweep the world, involves tiny ornaments inserted directly into the eye.

The jewels, about 3.5mm across, come in heart, star and stud designs, and sparkle when light is shone on them.

Already six women and a man are sporting the accessories after £330 operations in the Netherlands.

Dutch eye surgeons Dr Gerritt Mellis and Dr Bob Ververs performed their first procedure on a 36-year-old model six months ago.

She has developed no side-effects and her eye has accepted the jewel.

Dr Mellis, director of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery, said: 'There are a lot of people who want this surgery done. The idea came from some research we were doing on eye pressure. We realised we could put jewellery inside the eye's outer membrane, so we thought it might be fun.'

Although it seems radical, Dr Mellis said the surgery was simple.

Asmall incision is made in the cornea - the transparent covering of the eyeball - and the jewellery is inserted.

The accessory is made from a special type of platinum the eye will accept.

The whole procedure takes about ten minutes and patients are given a local anaesthetic eye drop to numb any pain.

Afterwards, they may feel a faint burning sensation for a day or two before any discomfort usually vanishes.

In time the jewel becomes part of the eye - even blood vessels start growing over it. The accessories can be removed using the same surgery.