Remember back when Madonna was first huge, in the ’80s, and girls who wanted to be just like her wore black rubber bracelets up to their elbows and multiple crucifixes, even if they were Jewish? It seems almost quaint now that girls are wearing imported, illegal contact lenses that may damage their eyesight, just to look like Lady Gaga. (She wears appears to wear them in her “Bad Romance” video — but the effect was actually created post-filming, with computers.) The lenses cover not just the irises, but also part of the whites of the eyes, giving girls a wide-eyed, innocent, anime look — the eyes look impossibly large. Yeah, we all looked like idiots in our ’80s Madonna get-ups, but at least there wasn’t a chance we’d go blind from it. Geez.
I really don’t see a difference…
From what I’ve read, the real problem with these “circle lenses” is that you don’t need your optometrist’s permission to buy them. If you order the right prescription, they’re pretty much the same as any other colored contacts (which have been legal for years). If you mess up and order the wrong prescription… well, that’s where the trouble lies.
Thanks Nonny, it’s fixed now. Wanna be our fact-checker? Hours are long and the pay is $0, just like for the two of us. 🙂
Em & Lo, I’m disappointed in your fact-checking. Lady Gaga did NOT wear contacts in her video for Bad Romance. The effect was created post-filming with computers.
These have been out for a while, ask any japanime obsessed person. I have them, have for a couple years. I don’t wear them every day, probably three times a year… the reason for all the bad press is that optometrists aren’t pocketing any money….
Philipp: We happily admit that we are grouchy old ladies! However, these new lenses go beyond regular cosmetic lenses (which girls we knew were wearing, even back in the 80s). These ones stretch beyond the irises, and as far as we know, haven’t been proven to be safe yet in this country (which always makes us feel a bit better… we’re not going to trust just any old country’s definition of safety). We don’t know that they can definitely cause blindness, just that optometrists in this country are very wary of teens who are importing lenses without any advice/input from optomotrists. Perhaps some of them are safe, perhaps now… the point is, we don’t think any of the teens wearing them are really looking into the safety issue.
Hmm, in europe purely cosmetic lenses are well known since years, and sold legally (even though in general we have prescriptions for everything). This is also the first time that I have heard the general claim that cosmetic lenses can render you blind. I would be happy about some more evidence, otherwise the article sounds a little like Em and Lo are already on their to grouchy old lady who doesn’t like new fashion fads 🙁
Leave it to Japan. That is a coveted look over there. Who says America and China are the only places that export dangerous unhealthy crap.