Lady Gaga Inspires Bizarre Contacts Fad

Lady Gaga’s anime-style eyes in her “Bad Romance” video—which were likely computer-enhanced—have started a potentially dangerous beauty fad among young women seeking to emulate her look. Special colored contacts from Asia, known as “circle lenses,” cover the whole iris and part of the whites of the eye, making eyes look larger. And according to a New York Times style piece, teenagers across the country are now collecting them in a rainbow of colors, using them as fashion accessories and photo enhancers (as well as to correct their vision). Only problem is, the lenses—which run about 20 to 30 dollars a pair—are contraband and carry worrisome health risks, including depriving the eyeball of oxygen. A spokeswoman for the FDA said that wearing any contact lenses without a prescription or help from an eye-care professional can be dangerous: “Consumers risk significant eye injuries—even blindness.”