Partygoers and trick-or-treaters across Britain will no doubt spend the next few weeks umming and ahhing over their Halloween costumes for this year. Spooky face paint, plastic devil horns and even strange coloured contact lenses may come as part of this – but you may want to steer clear of one item in particular.
Ali Mearza, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at OCL Vision, has issued a stark warning about ‘unregulated products’ that he claims are circulating social media. This specifically regards liquid that can reportedly change the colour of your eyes, alleging that some drops may have ‘catastrophic repercussions’.
“The allure of changing one’s eye colour may seem harmless, but these eye drops can contain harmful ingredients that are not approved for such use,” he explained. “Applying these substances to the eye can lead to infections, corneal damage, and in extreme cases, vision loss.”
While some may opt to use these drops near Halloween, Mearza has noticed a dangerous trend of people using popular but ‘untrialled’ products on a day-to-day basis. He urged the public to be particularly vigilant when it comes to putting anything in ‘sensitive areas like the eyes’ as the impact may be irreversible.
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He continued: “The long-term effects of using unregulated eye drops remain largely unknown. There has been no research into the active ingredients in the products which supposedly make a difference to eye colour. This is problematic, especially when used daily as suggested.
“There are drops, such as prostaglandin analogues used in glaucoma treatment, which can result in deeper pigmentation of the eye and the surrounding skin. However, this is generally an unwanted side effect and normally causes the eye to appear darker, rather than going lighter, as the viral trend promotes.
“The eye is an incredibly delicate organ, and what may seem like a simple cosmetic change can have irreversible consequences.”
Aside from this, Mearza also warns against iris tattooing and ‘cosmetic iris implants’ as they may have a similarly devastating impact on your vision. “There are safer temporary options available, such as coloured contact lenses prescribed by a qualified professional,” he stressed.
“Our health should never be compromised for the sake of a trend.”
