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Uncategorized Sunday, July 4th 2010 at 3:56 pm

Trending Terror: Mary Sue Eyes

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The combination of Anime and American teenagers has produced a number of things we might be better off without.  The suffixes -chan, -hime, and the word baka used without discrimination, not to mention an extensive new genre of slash fanfiction, and now: dangerous contact lenses.

The New York Times reports on a new trend among young girls in America: circle lenses.

Lady Gaga’s wider-than-life eyes [from the Bad Romance video] were most likely generated by a computer, but teenagers and young women nationwide have been copying them with special contact lenses imported from Asia. Known as circle lenses, these are colored contacts — sometimes in weird shades like violet and pink — that make the eyes appear larger because they cover not just the iris, as normal lenses do, but also part of the whites.

Some girls are wearing them every day, like “mascara or eyeliner.”  The problem is… they’re illegal to sell in the US and many doctors think that they are harmful to the eyes. The eyes that are wearing them, we mean.

The New York Times noted that it is against the law to sell contact lenses in the US without a prescription, and that mail order contact companies are required to verify that customers are ordering the strength of lens that is healthiest for them, neither of which are things that circle lens sites do.

A spokesperson for the F.D.A told the New York Times:

“Consumers risk significant eye injuries — even blindness” when they buy contact lenses without a valid prescription or help from an eye professional.

And Dr. S. Barry Eiden, an optometrist more familiar with the trend,

said that people selling circle lenses online “are encouraging the avoidance of professional care.” He warned that ill-fitting contact lenses could deprive the eye of oxygen and cause serious vision problems.

But the trend lives.  One 19-year-old student said she thought the idea of putting the things in her eyes was a little sketchy… until she saw “so many girls out there wearing them.”  She now considers herself an addict.

For a scary introduction to exactly what they look like, see makeup artist Michelle Phan‘s YouTube tutorial on how to look like Lady Gaga in Bad Romance.

An aside: Don’t worry, guys.  I also find the above video kind of terrifying.  Granted, I don’t think this is the sort of thing anyone would do every day, as the women in the New York Times article seem to.  This is more a costume than an outfit, if you follow me.

But I digress.

Girls.  Girls.  Forget about spending $20-30 dollars on prosthesis that can cause “significant eye injuries — even blindness.”  Even Michelle Phan, whose video has more than 9.5 million views, knows.  Do it in Photoshop.  It takes five minutes, and you’re on your way to learning a trade that will serve you well in today’s digital economy.  Hopefully.

(picture via The New York Times.)

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  • Htvgr

    Isn’t she wearing circle lens AND making her eyes computer generated to look bigger? Because you cannot make your eyes that big without special effects.

  • RetardKiller

    omg you are most certainly mis-informed. THIS GARBAGE you wrote here is NOT about the dangers (be there or not) of using Circle Lenses, this crap is about why you yourself do not like circle lenses!
    Anime and Lady GaGa are not to blame for people using cirlce lenses!
    Anime is a form of art i am sure its been around longer than this fad of using circle lenses >:(
    also Lady Gaga’s eyes WERE photoshopped, she didn’t use circle lenses.
    Do not diss Ms.Phan for showing people how to put on makeup and look like however they want.
    You are IMPOSING your views on this subject onto others to make it seem like a bad idea. LET PEOPLE DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES! >:(

  • A888

    1. Anime and circle lenses are completely unrelated. Anime originates from Japan in the early 20th century. Circle Lenses originated in South Korea and is a modern technology.

    2. Yes, circle lenses are potentially harmful. So are regular contact lenses. Regular contact lenses can also cause blindness if they aren’t looked after.

    3. Most people that buy circle lenses wear contact lenses. They understand the safety procedures of using circle lenses. They know their prescription and their base curve. In fact, most reliable sellers with authentic lenses from manufacturers in Japan and South Korea make their circle lenses the same base curve as normal lenses, as well as the size of the contacts are the same as normal lenses. They might be coloured, but they are not bigger physically than normal lenses. Who your talking about, what your expressing is the tiny amount of people that are STUPID enough to put their looks above their health. Stop acting like ALL people that use circle lenses are foolish, narcissistic princesses.

    4. ‘Granted, I don’t think this is the sort of thing anyone would do every day, as the women in the New York Times article seem to.  This is more a costume than an outfit, if you follow me’
    What? You think that people that wear circle lenses also wear 6 pairs of fake eyelashes, 1cm of eyeliner, a blond curly wig and a plastic bag EVERYDAY? OF COURSE IT’S A COSTUME. People that wear contact lenses don’t look or do this. Again, it’s a costume. Circle lenses are tiny part of that costume. If you weren’t so ignorant you would also check her other videos and see that she also uses her circle lenses with quite minimal, everyday makeup. Stop exaggerating.

    The only thing you achieved in this article is displaying how ignorant, uninformed and biased you are. This isn’t an article. Articles are informative, well-explained and stable in both it’s expression and facts. Your article is NONE of this. You? A writer? Think again.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PDLEV53CBTZ64WNWZX2XHFFQXU Graceful

    Oh my god, the world is becoming so dumb lately. Always misunderstanding, misinterpreting, and misinforming things. Do your research before you post articles like this, PLEASE. To save all of humanity.

  • Coolkid

    Can you be any more biased against Asian culture? First you hate on anime, which by the way, is a rising trend worldwide that I myself love, and then you go and suggest circle lenses are worn by stupid, narcissistic people. I say everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Let everyone say what they will about all this, but please leave the anime out of it.

  • Nikki

    You write as if you think they are hideous and horrifying. I don’t see why. I mean, of course the red/hot pink/bright purple are kind of a “woah! That may be a bit much”. You make them seem like they’re right up there with curdled milk and diaper rashes. They’re pretty, especially when someone chooses the right color, meaning somewhere in the honeys, greens, blues and greys. Sometimes girls can even pull off pink/purple. It just depends.

    Also, I believe the only reason the FDA hasn’t approved them is because they don’t want to spend the money it takes to go through the process. This reminds me of a drug for AIDS that I heard about in an econ class. My teacher told us that it was only available in Europe because the FDA wouldn’t approve it, and that it was extremely expensive, but effectively “cured” someone (I think it was Magic Johnson?) because he could afford the transport and product.

    So, They’re not ugly, and they MOST LIKELY aren’t any more dangerous than standard lens. Please. Do the world a favor and quit stabbing at the Asian culture.
    The majority of the people that like these lens aren’t the big weeaboos you think we are.

  • Shien-ko

    If you hare hearing words like Baka, Hime, and Chan a bit too much maybe you need to consider hanging out with people that share your interest.  

    Asian culture is extremely complex.  Because  producing live action TV shows were so expansiveness they used animation early on, not only that it was easy to dub for other Asian countries to air on their networks.  Many of the shows produced to this day are meant for older audiences and they deal with complex social under currents.  

    Circle lenses even though they come from Korea which has a shared history with Japan and it’s own Manga and Anime series, does not mean it isn’t still connected to the wide eyed Anime culture.  

    I have many acquaintances male, female, and androgynous that have jumped on the circle lenses band wagon, who aren’t sight impaired, and this is their first contact experience. Just like any other perscription lenses they need to be taken care of  and should probably only be sold though an eye care provider so proper care can be assured.  

    I don’t think there is  anything wrong with wanting to stand out from the crowd in an ever more competitive world, but safety and well being first.  

  • Vicki

    People aren’t using circle lenses to copy Lady Gaga;; they were around &*  popular before she EVEN became famous .  Not only that, people do many things that can have harmful effects if the person isn’t careful about the procedure .  Tanning can be dangerous too just like circle lenses, but look at how many people in America do it now;; probably a large percent of the population &* I can say that bc I live here &* I see it . 

    However, just as only some of these people overdo the tanning &* aren’t careful, there are many people that understand it can be dangerous &* take precaution when doing it, just as there are people that are safe when using their circle lenses .  As a double major, one being in journalism, I understand yur doing yur job writing these articles, but a good writer is a properly-informed &* unbiased one .  Obviously yur going to say negative or positive things depending on the subject yur discussing &* if it’s something you approve of or not, but that’s not going to be good for the general public if you base the article off of yur opinions rather than fact .

  • asianeekamkee

    This article should be on “onion” instead…. seeing how the article favors subjectivity -_- This is the most biased inaccurate article I’ve ever read. You don’t even give much evidence, it’s all claims, and minor quotes that don’t even support your claims enough.