“Lady Gaga's appeal dangerous?”

Posted: 01 Aug 2010 11:28 PM PDT

Call her super-talented or super-insane, there's no denying that Lady Gaga has a magnetic effect on young girls, inspiring thousands of young fans to don blond wigs, sheer lace leggings, yellow caution tape and even sunglasses made of cigarettes. But, the latest Gaga trend — circle lenses — has got not only fashion critics worried, but eye doctors as well.

Circle lenses were available before the Gaga explosion, and in fact their popularity originated in Japan, Singapore and South Korea where many young women wear them to accentuate their eyes to resemble Japanese anime characters. The decorative contact lenses come in a variety of colors and give the wearer a doe-eyed, childlike appearance.

Dr. James Salz, clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California, says the lenses aren't radically different from the older colored contacts used for years to change people's eye color, "except that before, the contacts weren't also trying to enlarge the color of the iris."

Unlike traditional colored contact lenses, which cover only the iris of the eye, circle lenses extend to cover part of the whites as well. Aside from the Lady Gaga allure, many young women claim that they wear them to make their eyes look bigger.

Since 2005, it has been illegal in the United States to sell any type of contact lenses without a prescription, which is why no major manufacturer in the United States sells these contacts. Most young women end up getting them through online sellers. Costs range from around $20 to $30 a pair, and corrective versions of the circle lenses are not available.

Perhaps the biggest tiff that doctors such as Salz have with these lenses is that girls can buy these without a prescription. No prescription means no sizing or fitting of the lenses to the eye.

For those who wear contacts that are too tight, the risks include swelling of the cornea, redness or corneal abrasion. Contacts that are too loose will move around and can also cause irritation and redness.

The main risk however, is infection.

"Sleeping in contact lenses probably increases the risk of infection tenfold because the eye gets less oxygen when you sleep at night, it's easier for bacteria and infection to breed," he said.

Ideally, Salz said, for the circle lenses to be safe — or safer, at least — the manufacturers should offer the contacts in a variety of sizes so that they can properly fit their customers.

But if you aren't going to chuck your circle lenses in the trash, Salz recommends that you wear them only for short periods of time and to soak them in sterilizing contact lens solution when you sleep.

Click here to read the warning from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Eye doctors worry about Lady Gaga's influence on fans when it comes to contact lenses.

Perhaps the biggest tiff that doctors such as Salz have with these lenses is that girls can buy these without a prescription. No prescription means no sizing or fitting of the lenses to the eye.

The main risk however, is infection.

"Sleeping in contact lenses probably increases the risk of infection tenfold because the eye gets less oxygen when you sleep at night, it's easier for bacteria and infection to breed," he said.

Ideally, Salz said, for the circle lenses to be safe — or safer, at least — the manufacturers should offer the contacts in a variety of sizes so that they can properly fit their customers.

Click here to read the warning from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

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