Sore eyes.

A new, glittery fashion could change how you see things ... literally! Dutch eye surgeons recently inserted tiny pieces of jewelry called JewelEye into the eyes of six women and one man.

How did doctors pull off this implant? Your eye is a small organ--about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) deep, and 2 cm (0.8 in.) tall. To prevent dust and other substances from damaging the delicate organ, your eye has many shields. One protector is the conjunctiva (KON-junk-TIE-vuh). This clear membrane coats the "white of your eye," or the sclera (SKLER-uh). "[The conjunctiva] helps moisturize and protect the eye," says David Haight, an eye doctor in New York.

Usually, when a speck of dirt flies onto the conjunctiva, lacrimal (LAK-ruh-mul) glands located inside the membrane secrete tears and mucous, says Haight. The ooze helps flush out invaders from the eye's surface.

But this weepy defense isn't foolproof. If the speck stays in your eye long enough, it can work its way beneath the conjunctiva. "Once it's underneath, it can't be flushed out with tears," says Haight.

JewelEye's secret: Surgeons cut a slit in the patient's conjunctiva and slipped the 0.3 cm (0.1 in.)-wide sparkler under the membrane. Ouch! Good thing the doctors numbed the eye before the 15-minute surgery.

Even though the hidden heart dodged a tearful ride, it won't stay put forever. That's because the conjunctiva is only loosely attached over the eye. Result? "[The gem] might be able to migrate and move around [under the conjunctiva]," explains Haight. If it slides about too much, the platinum charm could irritate the patient's eye, and even cause vision problems, warns Haight.

This latest trend gives new meaning to the saying: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."