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.

In today’s issue of Contact Lenses Today, optometrist and contact lens specialist Morris Lehrfeld, OD, shares the following tips he gives to his patients to help keep their eyes healthy when wearing contact lenses:

1. Use only solutions prescribed by your eye doctor. Older and generic contact lens solutions can cause compatibility issues, especially with modern silicone hydrogel contacts, says Dr. Lehrfeld.
2. Use fresh contact lens solution every day. Many contact lens wearers are guilty of “topping off” the contact lens solution left in their lens case from the previous day. This reduces the effectiveness of the disinfection process, potentially leading to serious contact lens-related eye infections.
3. Replace your contact lens case at least every three months. Even with proper lens care, bacteria and other infection-causing agents can accumulate in contact lens cases over time. Routine replacement of your lens case can reduce the risk of contamination and eye infections.

Dr. Lehrfeld is an eye care provider at Palatine Vision Center, a group optometric practice in Palatine, Illinois. Contact Lenses Today is a weekly e-mail newsletter for eye doctors sponsored by the professional journal, Contact Lens Spectrum.

In this month’s issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, editor and contact lens specialist Jason J. Nichols, OD, warns that current economic conditions may be affecting how people are wearing and caring for their contact lenses.

Dr. Nichols says hard economic times can alter people’s behavior regarding their health, including how frequently they replace their contacts and how they use contact lens solutions.

“I am hearing more and more reports of patients looking for the cheapest ‘bottle’ on the shelf, which just happens to be saline rather than an appropriate care solution,” he says. Many contact lens wearers may also be using their lenses for longer periods of time rather than discarding and replacing them according to the schedule their optometrist or ophthalmologist recommends, according to Dr. Nichols.

Internet blogs and social networking sites may be contributing to the problem: some sites feature discussion boards where contact lens wearers report how they routinely wear their disposable contacts longer than recommended.

Dr. Nichols warns that poor contact lens habits frequently lead to contact lens-related eye infections, including severe infections like Acanthamoeba keratitis. He urges eye doctors to continue educating and re-educating their patients about proper contact lens wear and care.

In a related story published in the journal, a survey released by the American Optometric Association indicates 52 percent of consumers are visiting their eye doctor less frequently due to economic reasons. The same survey says 59 percent are visiting their primary care physician less frequently.

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses, even more than conventional soft contacts, require a rubbing step when cleaning and disinfecting the lenses with “no-rub” contact lens solutions, says a prominent contact lens specialist.

Michael A. Ward, MMSc, FAAO, instructor in ophthalmology at Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, Ga.) and director of Emory Eye Center’s Contact Lens Service, says adding the manual cleaning step maximizes comfort, improves vision and reduces the risk of contact lens-related eye infections.

Researchers are finding that one-step (”no-rub”) contact lens solutions often do not completely remove environmental debris, skin oils and make-up from the surface of contact lenses. These lens deposits can cause eye discomfort and vision problems, and may also decrease the effectiveness of lens disinfectants and lead to serious problems, including bacterial and fungal eye infections and Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Silicone hydrogel lenses, which allow more oxygen to reach the cornea than regular soft contacts, are as likely as regular soft lenses to accumulate lens deposits if they are not properly cleaned and disinfected after each wearing period.

If patients at Emory Contact Lens Service are not compliant with a rub-and-rinse lens care regimen and lens deposits are noted, switching to a hydrogen peroxide-based lens care system often solves the problem, Ward told online newsletter Contact Lenses Today (Oct 22).

Another option for people who are prone to contact lens deposits or fail to care for their lenses properly is to switch to daily disposable contacts, which are designed to be discarded after a single use.