A 50-year-old woman from Australia is looking to raise awareness on the dangers of sleeping with makeup on after she almost lost her eyesight from doing it for 25 years.
Removing makeup before sleeping may be tedious to do, especially when one comes home tired and just want to get to bed. However, this scary experience should convince women to always remove makeup before sleeping.
Effects Of Always Sleeping With Makeup On
Theresa Lynch, from Sydney, Australia, almost went blind after failing to remove her mascara properly over 25 years, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Lynch went to seek medical advice due to an uncomfortable sensation underneath her eyelids, alongside eye irritation and discharge.
Doctors discovered calcified bumps or concretions beneath her eyelids due to the mascara building up there for many years. Fragments of mascara deposited under her eyelids over 25 years that Lynch did not remove her makeup before sleeping.
"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."
Eye Makeup Almost Causes Blindness
After the horrifying discovery, Lynch had to undergo a 90-minute surgery to remove the mascara fragments that had built up underneath her eyelid. The surgery was successful, but the buildup has left behind a permanent scarring on the surface of the cornea and the eyelid that will continue to cause discomfort.
According to Dr. Dana Robaei, who attended to Lynch for the eye issue, the bumps beneath her eyelid were rubbing on the surface of her eye every time she blinked. If a scratch left on her eye by one of the bumps was infected, Lynch would have been exposed to the risk of blindness.
Dr. Robaei compared Lynch's injuries to someone being thrown sand into their eye, resulting in constant irritation until all the particles were moved. She advised women to take the removal of their mascara and the rest of their makeup seriously or else, they may be exposed to the same risks that almost cost her vision.
Dr. Shahriar Nabili, from the BMI Ross Hall Hospital in Scotland, said that mascara and eyeliner may cause infections and irritations. She added that the best way to prevent similar issues is to remove makeup properly before sleeping. Both Lynch and Dr. Robaei are advocating this advice to stop women from facing such eye health problems.
