Carefoul with mascara on lenses

SIX in 10 Singaporean women who wear contact lenses have suffered eye irritation and discomfort after accidentally getting beauty products such as mascara on their lenses. But only 8 per cent of them took the extra step of consulting an eye-care professional.

The findings were released yesterday in a Nielsen survey of more than 500 women, commissioned by contact lens maker Ciba Vision. The women, aged 15 to 39, were polled in February.

Ophthalmologist Natasha Lim, who works in private practice at Wheelock Place, agreed that eye discomfort and irritation from cosmetic use are common gripes among women lens wearers.

Most choose to wear contact lenses as they want to look good, so they are 'very likely to also wear lots of eye make-up', she said. Dr Leo Seo Wei, a senior consultant ophthalmologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said the rising popularity of silicone hydrogel lenses has worsened the problem. These new lenses tend to absorb more oil than the older hydrogel ones.

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