Cosmetics, should you be careful of what you put on your eyes?

Posted on Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Like many people I’ve spoken to, you don’t normally realise the importance of choosing the right cosmetics for your eyes. Our eyes, eyelids and skin surrounding the eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies, so putting makeup and other products on those areas every day can be tough on them and here’s why…

The makeup can clog up the base of our lashes and that can sometimes result in infections.

The wrong kind of makeup can seep into the eyes, breaking up the tear layer which can result in dry eyes. When dry eye occurs this can cause blurred vision. If you are an extended wear contact lens wearer makeup in the eyes can cause deposits on your lenses meaning they may not last as long as they should.

A lot of products contain ingredients that are irritants to the eyes, have you ever had itchy eyes when wearing some makeup? Then this is probably why.

A lot of “long wear” makeup is incredibly tough to remove, even with the best cleansers which can result in makeup residue left on your eyes which again can result in infections.

I remember when I had my last slit lamp examination (the big light that they shine into your eye) my optometrist was astounded by how much makeup had gotten stuck underneath my eyelids (nasty!). His words were “It looks like a glitter ball up there” and swiftly got rid of it all with some gentle solution. At the time I’d had no idea makeup was one of the root causes of my dry, red eyes, I remember thinking how religious I am at cleaning makeup off yet somehow it still managed to make its way into my eyes. The problem piece of makeup was in fact my beloved powder highlighter, so I instantly switched to a different brand and bought a tougher cleanser, problem solved!

• The advice we can give is as follows
• Always look for makeup brands that focus on not disturbing PH Balance of your skin.
• Avoid ingredients that are irritants to the eyes.
• Try and stick with water based products.

Avoid Parabens.

What are Parabens I here you cry! Well they are preservatives used in most cosmetic and home care products, they stop the growth of bacteria and fungus thus keeping your cosmetics good for longer. The have been used for well over 70 years however now there is a growing debate between scientists that they are actually bad for our health. In what way? New research has loosely suggested that they may increase our risk of cancer, it is worth noting that this has not yet been proven but better to be safe than sorry right? Would you really want to put something that is potentially harmful on somewhere as delicate as the eyes?

If you are concerned about where you can get cosmetics centred around eye health then we can point you in the right direction, our Opticians in Farnham are now stocking a brand called Eyecare Cosmetics which have covered all the areas listed above and produced a wonderful cosmetics range. They do anything from mascara to foundation to anti-wrinkle cream so please do pop in if you would like to try it or need more advice. I recently switched to their mascara because I was suffering with itchy eyelids and problem solved, I no longer feel irritated and the mascara comes off with ease.

Please note that you should always consult your Optometrist if you have eye related any symptoms you are concerned about.

Thank you for reading and as always our trained staff in Farnham are always on hand to answer any questions you may have.

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