By Joan Odafe & Oluwakemi Oladipo
Lagos – An Eye Surgeon, Dr Ayo Harriman has warn Nigerians against the use of artificial eyelashes, contact lenses and self-medication.
Harriman, who is also the Medical Director, St. Edmund Eye Clinics gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.
The surgeon said that while artificial eyelashes and contact lenses could enhance people’s beauty, they could turn out to be injurious to the eyes.
“I’ve seen cases that come in as emergencies that the glue that is used got unto the eye.
“And usually they present with watery eyes, red eyes and they are in a lot of pain.
“They’re in pain because the cornea which is the front window of the eye has been peeled.
“The lining of the cornea has been peeled.”
Harriman expressed concern over the manner in which the contact lenses were handled.
“For some type of contact lenses, there’s a mechanism that can be used to remove the contact lens.
“For many people, they use their fingers to remove it but your fingers have to be clean.
“The contact lens solution also has to be clean. So, it’s actually contamination from the contact lens solution that damages the cornea.
“It causes an infection and some people have lost their eyes from infected contact lens wear.”
The surgeon further warned against self-medication and the use of unprescribed eye drops, gomutra (cow urine), salt or sugar solutions and breast milk to treat eye infections.
She, therefore, advised people to imbibe the habit of going for regular eye checks, at least once yearly, particularly if they were above 40 years old.
“If there’s a family history and you’re over 40 and short-sighted, you should have an eye check at least once a year,” she said.
Harriman then advised parents and caregivers to ensure that children don’t throw stones or play ‘sword fights’ while playing. (NAN)