One Makeup Mistake that Can Potentially Cause Blindness

I understand that sometimes you get home late from a party, event, or work and it can be hard to motivate yourself to take off your makeup before going to bed. Taking a few minutes to remove eye makeup and wash your face after a long day at work or night out does seem like a difficult task at times. Sometimes, it's just easier to skip the routine. However, going to bed without washing your face can do more than leave makeup and mascara stains on your pillow. It can also clog the glands around your eyes and lead to irritated skin, pimples, and even styes on or around your eyelids. Removable false lashes are a no-no too since sleeping in them and rubbing them can cause the glue that holds them together to get into your cornea and lead to major inflammation. So, is there really a risk to your health when this becomes a long-term habit?

I recently came across an article where one woman learned the hard way that sleeping in makeup can cause more damage than she thought was possible. According to a case detailed in the May 2018 issue of the American Academy of Ophthalmology journal, an Australian woman, 50-year-old Theresa Lynch, was found to have dark pigments, thought to be fragments of mascara, building up in parts of her eye. She almost went blind after inadequately removing her mascara for 25 years. 

Lynch sought out medical advice, leading doctors to discover that she had developed calcified bumps, identified as concretions, underneath her eyelids. These bumps were essentially a build up of mascara fragments that had never been properly washed away.“The lumps were embedded so deep that particles were building up on top of each other,” said Lynch. “I was so uncomfortable. My eyelids were swollen and heavy because I left it for so long.” Unfortunately, the lumps posed a major risk to Lynch's vision because they would rub across the surface of her eye every time she blinked. “If the scratch on the surface of the eye got infected, there is a risk this could be potentially blinding, but that would be rare,” said Lynch's ophthalmic surgeon, Dana Robaei, MBBS. “She has suffered permanent scarring on her eyelid and the surface of her cornea,” Robaei added. “The symptoms are like somebody throwing a handful of sand in your eye, it's constantly irritating.” The photos below are what Lynch's affected eye area looked like from this mascara build up.

Cosmetic products like eyeliner and mascara can end up inside your eyes due to being rubbed by your pillow during sleep. Doing so repeatedly may result in the clogging of tiny hair follicles and oil glands on your eyelids. Bacteria can then build up and cause inflammation. To reduce the risk of an eye infection, avoid the same product for different parts of your face such as the same pencil being used for your lips and eyes. Also, never share eye makeup with a friend as the product may carry bacteria from one person to another.

This doesn't mean you should panic and throw away all your mascara and eye makeup forever, as not all beauty products are dangerous and blindness as a reaction from using them is pretty rare. While Lynch's case is not something that happens often, it's still important to know the potential dangers of what sleeping in your eye makeup can do to your skin and eyes. You are only given one pair of eyes in your lifetime, so take care of them, which includes taking your mascara and eye makeup off every night before going to bed.

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Source:

https://www.medicaldaily.com/dangers-sleeping-makeup-include-potential-blindness-424537