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Illegal contact lenses used to achieve the doe-eyed look in Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video have hit shelves in the US - causing a health scare.
Unbeknown to many of the pop star's fans, Lady Gaga's look was achieved digitally - after the video was shot. But that has not stopped unscrupulous retailers from stocking and selling extra-large, round contact lenses.
Because the lenses are already illegal in the country, there is no regulation surrounding their manufacture.
The US Food and Drug Administration has already condemned the lenses, failing to approve them for sale by either licensed or un-licensed retailers.
Available on the internet for as little as $20 (£15), there are also online videos on YouTube showing teenagers how to use the lenses - and the videos have already received 9.5 million hits.
Dr Assumpta Madu of Montefiore Medical Center told Good Morning America: "There's literally that potential for someone to lose their vision within 24 hours and that's from infection."
If contact lenses do not fit properly and are either too tight or too loose, they can scratch a person's cornea and cause severe vision problems - starting with an eye infection.
Although vision loss is relatively rare from contact lens wear, it is a possibility.
Recent research conducted by the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America showed that allergy problems - which can lead to eye infection if left untreated - can be exacerbated by excessive contact lens wear.
The organisation's claims highlight the benefits of using Ortho K overnight corrective contact lenses. Because they are worn while a person sleeps - not during the day - and gently reshape the eye, correcting vision, they are worn for far less time. This dramatically reduces the likelihood that a wearer will succumb to an eye infection while using them.
Written by Oliver Edgar
Eye Health: Find out if i-GO over night contact lenses will suit you.
