In her recent music video, “Bad Romance,” pop star Lady Gaga’s appearance is more arresting than usual thanks to a bit of computer magic: Her eyes were digitally altered to appear bigger.

Not surprising, the doe-eyed look she has in the video has inspired a fad among many teenage girls and young women: wearing special color contacts that mimic the anime-style look. These so-called “circle” contacts have a darkly tinted zone that makes the wearer’s pupil look much larger than normal.

The problem is that circle contact lenses are being sold illegally via the Internet without a contact lens prescription, which eye doctors say could cause serious eye problems ranging from minor eye discomfort to serious eye infections, including potentially blinding infections such as Acanthamoeba keratitis. This especially is true when contact lenses are not properly cleaned and disinfected after each use and/or are shared among friends.

Today, the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and American Optometric Association (AOA) issued a joint statement titled, “Concern Regarding Cosmetic ‘Circle’ Contact Lenses.”

In the document, the organizations point out that all contact lenses, whether they correct vision or are used simply for cosmetic purposes, are classified as medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cannot be obtained legally in the United States without a prescription, which requires a contact lens fitting by a licensed eye care practitioner.

The joint statement also says studies show individuals who purchase contact lenses via the Internet or mail order have a four times greater risk of eye infections than those who purchase their lenses from an eye care professional.

The AAO and AOA also warn of the dangers of sharing or swapping contact lenses with friends and advise consumers desiring cosmetic contact lenses to alter or enhance their appearance to do so only after consultation with their eye care provider.

The AAO/AOA joint statement follows a similar warning about circle contacts issued earlier this month by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

“Any contact lens you want. Anywhere in the world.”

This is the promise that CooperVision and Armed Forces Eyewear are making to members of the U.S. military on a new website at ArmedForcesContactLenses.com. (Armed Forces Eyewear is a service mark of Frames Direct, an online eyewear retailer.)

The site contains patient information about CooperVision’s portfolio of contact lenses, as well as rebate and free trial offers. And it provides access to the Armed Forces Eyewear site where patients can order the lenses and get guaranteed delivery, wherever they may be.

A percentage of each purchase of CooperVision contacts will be donated to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service fund, which supports youth services, recreation centers, and other morale and welfare programs for the military community.

A CooperVision official said in a release that the company’s wide range of contact lenses enables military eye care professionals to offer “the best fit and option for each patient.”

Twilight fans can dress up as their favorite vampire characters this Halloween with new special effect contact lenses by Coastal Contacts.

“The key costume piece for a vampire is the eyes,” said Jennifer Harvey, communications manager for the company. “People are really having fun with it – blood red eyes, vampire dark purple, or Edward’s amber colored eyes.”

Coastal Contacts released the contacts just last week, along with their new fall lineup. Over 130 styles are available in their Special Effects (SFX) contact lens line. All lenses are FDA approved, and some are available in prescription powers for vision correction.

Note: Even non-prescription contacts require a contact lens fitting and a valid contact lens prescription. This is true even if you already wear a different brand of contact lenses for everyday wear.

If you are interested in Halloween and special effects lenses, first see your eye doctor for a contact lens exam and fitting.

Colored contacts that enhance or alter the color of one’s eyes are most popular among young females, according to a study appearing in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, the official journal of the British Contact Lens Association.

According to the researchers, annual survey data regarding contact lens fittings show that those wearing the colored soft lenses are more likely to be female (4.6 percent of all soft lenses fitted versus 1.6 percent for males) and younger than those wearing non-tinted soft contacts.

The mean age of people wearing colored lenses is 27 years (range: 16 to 38 years), whereas the mean age of those wearing non-tinted lenses is 33 years (range: 20 to 46 years), according to the survey data.

People wearing color contact lenses also tend to wear the lenses more on a part-time basis and replace them less frequently than non-tinted lenses, the researchers said.

Source: Patterns of fitting cosmetically tinted contact lenses. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye. (Corrected proof, published online June 19, 2009)