Fashion trends come and fashion trends go, some do wonders for your street cred but a few, while being achingly hip, are actually bad for your health.

Pop star and fashion icon, Lady Gaga - the latest to have Madonna’s style crown firmly in her sights - has caused a media storm among eye doctors due to her penchant for circle lenses, as seen in her Bad Romance video.

The strangely-hued contacts, much loved by fans of those doe-eyed anime films and comic book characters, make eyes look much larger and childlike by partially covering the whites of the eye, too.

Particularly popular with young Asians, circle lenses come in weird and wonderful colours like nude gray, black and violet. The interest in the lenses have also no doubt been popularised by movie makers,’ increasing interest in the vampire and zombie genres most recently popularised by the Twilight series and HBO’s True Blood. For many female wearers of circle contact lenses they are akin to wearing make-up, an accessory to be changed at will. Men also wear them.

Why eye care specialists don’t see eye-to-eye with the latest fad adopted by impressionable style mavens is because fashion lenses are non-prescription eye wear and can be bought online without consulting an eye specialist, to ensure a proper fitting. Manufactured and distributed mainly in Asia, circle lenses are widely available via the Internet.

What the eye doctors say

The Lions Eye Clinic located in the Cayman Islands Hospital sees hundreds of patients a year. Its Lead Consultant Ophthalmologist Jyotin Pandit says: “Personally, I would not recommend that kind of lens to anybody as they are not prescription quality eye wear. Most of these lenses are sub-standard since their manufacture is not closely monitored by any regulatory agencies in such countries as Malaysia, China and Korea.”

Natalie Da Silva of Cayman Lens Crafter also says that the quality of circle lenses is questionable: “With cosmetic lenses, there is more of a focus on the cosmetic aspect so the quality is usually not as good.”

She also notes that those ordering contacts from the internet have probably not been trained in how maintain or wear their lenses correctly, causing them to over-wear, sleep or share their lenses without realising the consequences.

Dr. Pandit says that proper care is a requirement for all types of lenses and that just because circle contact lenses aren’t commonplace in Cayman regular contact lens wearers shouldn’t become complacent about proper eye care. “You have to remember that contact lenses are foreign bodies for the eye and so should be kept in immaculate condition,” he suggests.

Krishna Mani, a local ophthalmologist with over three decades of medical experience, similarly stresses the importance of getting all eye wear professionally prescribed and fitted by a specialist be it an ophthalmologist (who is certified to undertake eye surgery) or an optometrist: “The fitting of any contact lens depends on the curvature of the lens. The eye doctor takes the curvature of the eye and then recommends the contact lens,” he says from his Pasadora Place clinic.

“The contact lens fits on the surface of the cornea and the tear flows between the lens and the cornea. So if the fitting is not right the contact lens can scratch the cornea which can lead to infection of the cornea and may lead to blindness.”

Mellisa Hudell of Tropical Optical on Shedden Road also had reservations about such lenses. She says: “The problem with this type of lens is that they don’t let much oxygen reach the cornea so they can cause corneal edemas, a swelling of the cornea, which can be painful.” She adds that “Unprescribed lenses can also cause blood vessel growth into the cornea causing pain and blurred vision.”

Corneal edemas are commonly caused by dehydration of the eye and can cause a halo effect around light, increased sensitivity to light and if left untreated can cause permanent nerve damage.

None of the eye doctors had seen circle lenses worn in Cayman, had been asked to fit them or knew if they were being sold locally. Dr. Mani, though, recalls seeing a cruise ship tourist wearing with this [type of] lens and she had a corneal ulcer.

Proper contact lense care

Always wash your hands with warm water and soap and dry them thoroughly before handling contact lenses or before touching your eyes.

Always clean prescribed contact lenses with the approved solution recommended by your eye doctor.

“Some people tend to use just saline, but that doesn’t have the proper cleaning solution in it,” warns Dr. Da Silva.

Although some types of lenses are approved for long-term wear avoid keeping them in overnight as this can cause a severe allergy as the lenses will start to absorb tear proteins and if misused over time can result in the wearer becoming allergic to their own eye proteins.

“Do not sleep in your contacts unless it’s an actual lens that’s FDA approved for sleeping in, but the majority are not and especially not the cosmetic lenses,” cautions Dr. Da Silva.

Visit an eye doctor regularly (at least every six months). Infrequent consultations, in the long-term, may result in warping of the cornea and in extreme cases can cause permanent corneal distortion, which is almost impossible to treat.

“The patient may feel fine, but we can see signs if, for example, there is not enough oxygen getting to the eye,” explains Dr. Da Silva.

Clean and store contact lenses in a clean case in fresh solution. Different types of contact lenses require special care and certain types of products.

Clean contact lens case after each use with sterile solution or hot water and let air dry.

Clean contact lens by rubbing them gently with your index finger in the palm of your hand. “No Rub” solutions allow wearers to rinse contact lenses without rubbing.

If you develop an eye infection remove the lenses and discontinue use until you talk with your eye doctor.

Never share lenses since doing so can spread any infection.

Wearing contact lenses may cause eyes to become more sensitive to sunlight, so wear sunglasses with total UV protection or a wide brim hat on sunny days.