If the prospect of acne breakouts and clogged pores is not enough to deter you from sleeping in your makeup, there are other, more important reasons to avoid this harmful habit. According to eye doctors, not removing your eye makeup before bed could lead to serious problems and possibly even blindness.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently published a study of a 50-year-old woman in Australia, who went to a doctor complaining about eye pain and swollen, heavy eyelids. When the doctor looked under her eyelids, she discovered a number of calcified lumps, which turned out to be 25 years’ worth of built-up mascara particles. The deposits were scratching the patient’s eyeball and cornea, and she had developed a chronic infection called follicular conjunctivitis. Had the woman not seen a doctor, the infection could have worsened and the woman could have lost her eyesight permanently.
Luckily, doctors were able to perform an emergency operation to safely remove these masses (although the woman had permanent scarring on her eyelid and corneal surface). Continue reading
