Increasing demand for under-eye plastic surgery has increased safety concerns over reports of blindness.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some fillers for facial use but they have not been approved for under the eyes, the New York Times reported.

At a recent plastic surgery conference in Chicago, doctors reported side effects like nodules, discolouration and under-eye mounds.

Other doctors from around the world have even recorded instances of blindness caused by cosmetic injections of silicone, fat and other materials under the eye, the publication reported.

The FDA came under pressure to conduct more research, as demand for soft-tissue filler injections increased to 1.5 million last year from 1.2 million in 2006.

Referring to under-eye treatment, Manhattan oculoplastic surgeon Dr Rene Rodriguez-Sains told the NY Times: "Certainly I wouldn’t do it myself or have it done on me."

Most soft-tissue fillers are temporary and can be absorbed by the body. Of the permanent variety the FDA has approved only one.