ABDO highlights Christmas eye makeup mistakes

Christmas is a magical time of year celebrated with parties, music and an abundance of food and drink, and this year the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) is highlighting the risks of a range of ‘make up mistakes’ in the consumer media.

Research by ABDO has found that 44% of women have left their eye make-up on overnight at least once, whilst 28% of those surveyed use eye make-up that is out of date and 27% do not clean their application brushes regularly enough.

Diane Nash BSc (Hons) FBDO CL is a Contact Lens Optician and she offers advice on the dangers of neglecting your eye care, ‘Not removing eye make-up daily, using a specific eye make-up remover or regularly cleaning any application brushes used will increase the risk of a bacterial eye infection, which is also true for if you do not replace makeup as often as recommended on the packaging’.

More than one in ten (11%) women in the UK risk damaging their eyes by applying eyeliner to the inside of their lashes.  Diane says, ‘The eyelid margins are important glands that contribute oils to the tear layer and for this reason we recommend make-up should not be applied inside the lash line. Leaving this area clear will optimise the tear film and avoid recurrent dryness.

Brow and Lash treatments are growing in popularity, but only 15% of women know how to check if the treatment provider is correctly licensed and certified to carry all services and 86% would still go for treatment even if they were not fully licenced.

Given the increased risk of eye problems at this busy time of year, the survey found that less than half of UK women (43%) would see an optician if they experienced discomfort in their eyes. In the press release which has been distributed to UK consumer media, Diane urges anyone with any eye care concerns to seek assistance. She adds, ‘If you have any concerns regarding eye infections including any redness and discomfort I would recommend you consult your local Optician’.

The release also highlights that it can be hard to access healthcare over Christmas: in many areas across the UK you can now access eye care and treatment from your optician on the NHS under a Minor Eye Condition Service, and opticians are generally open at weekends too. Make your optician your first port of call for any eye problems.