Bad Vision: Circle Contact Lenses May Put Eyes at Risk
File this under news that surprises no one, but Lady Gaga may have added fuel to a somewhat dangerous trend. No, ankle breaking shoe sales haven’t picked up – perhaps we all learned a lesson after the Spice Girls. Circle contact lenses, however, are picking up in popularity after Gaga’s wide-eyed look in the Bad Romance video.
Emma Pillsbury would not approve of circle contacts
While her anime style eyes were likely the result of computer special effects, circle contact lenses – illegal in the US, are picking up in popularity as teens and young women pursue a bright eyed stare against doctors recommendations. The lenses widen the eye by covering part of the whites, in addition to the iris that standard lenses cover. {New York Times}
In the US, any contacts purchased without a prescription are illegal. If lenses don’t fit properly or are worn at an incorrect prescription strength, they can deprive eyes of oxygen and lead to vision problems.
It’s worth noting that while circle contacts are the focus of the latest trend, the same concerns apply to novelty contacts and even standard contacts.
No US manufacturers sell circle contacts, so there’s no definitive way to know if properly maintained circle contact lenses pose any more danger than regular contacts obtained in a similar manner.
But if you’ve decided to take the risk, the real question is probably “do they work?” This before and after shot from Tokio Shine, a site that sells circle contacts and novelty lenses suggests they do.
While we’ll stick to mascara for now, this definitely isn’t the craziest beauty product we’ve observed (snake venom, eye lights…), and even Dior is getting into the novelty lens game.
