Fans Risk Eye Damage to Copy Lady Gaga’s Style

There seems to be no limit to what fans will try in order to copy their favorite celebrities. The latest in a series of unsafe trends was sparked by a Lady Gaga video for her song “Bad Romance,” in which the singer appears with Anime-like oversized eyes that draw attention in the video.

While reports by the New York Times and CNN note that Lady Gaga’s look in the video is a computer-generated effect, that hasn’t stopped teens from purchasing (largely online, in an illegal trade) contacts that create the same effect.

These oversized contact lens fit the entire eye, including the white portion, unlike normal contacts, and dyes used to create them have posed problems for some consumers. Normal contact lens fittings require special measurement and testing to ensure a proper fit. Obviously those purchasing these decorative lenses over the Internet get none of that benefit or assurance.

The problem is that such contacts (which also seem to appear with regular frequency around the Halloween holiday) have proven unsafe, leading to any number of eye problems, including bacterial infection, corneal abrasion, even a loss of vision.

The American Optometric Association has issued a warning to those who would follow such trends: “Consumers who purchase lenses without a prescription or without consultation from an eye doctor put themselves at risk of serious bacterial infection, or even significant damage to the eye’s ability to function, with the potential for irreversible sight loss.”