Sight warning over lens craze

by STEPHEN HULL, Metro

Children are putting their eyesight at risk with the new craze for swapping coloured contact lenses, opticians warned yesterday.

Experts fear teenagers could be left with permanent eye problems and even blindness from serious infections.

Unlike those who use prescription lenses, wearers of the fashion accessories are not trained in how to use them and do not get regular check-ups.

This means infections from wearing the contacts for longer than the stipulated month or from not cleaning them properly can go undetected.

They are then passed on as teenagers swap the lenses, which cost up to £40 a pair on the Internet.

The Association of Optometrists said contact lenses were not 'one size fits all'.

"They need to fit the eye properly or they can do damage to the cornea," said a spokesman.

"You get children swapping them and that is a very bad idea - they transfer infections around."

Coloured lenses have grown in popularity in recent years because they are used by controversial characters such as singer Marilyn Manson.

Designs include everything from simple tints to a black-and-white zebra effects, tiger eyes and even the Union Jack.

The General Optical Council is calling for legislation to ensure all contact lenses are sold only through opticians.

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