Birmingham Eye Doctor on Makeup & Eye Health

Birmingham eye doctor Marc Michelson, M.D. commented on precautions for eye health and eye makeup use. “The proper use and care of eye makeup is important for helping to keep your eyes both healthy and beautiful”, noted Dr. Michelson, Medical Director of Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. There are a number of steps and precautions to think about.

 First, throw away eye makeup after three months. Infection-causing bacteria grow easily in creamy or liquid eye makeup. If you develop an eye infection, immediately toss all of your eye makeup.

 Second, never share eye makeup, and when sampling makeup in stores use only fresh applicators and samples that have not been contaminated by multiple users. In fact the safest choice is to avoid using store samples at all.

 Third, if you tend to be allergic, introduce only one new eye makeup or care product at a time. If there is no reaction, add another new product, and so on. If you notice an allergic reaction, find out what the ingredients are and let your eye doctor know. Avoid products that contain untested or harmful chemicals.

 In general, before applying makeup, be sure your face and eyelids are very clean. Always apply makeup outside the lash line, away from the eye, to avoid blocking the oil glands of the upper or lower eyelid. These glands secrete oil that protects the eye’s surface.

 If you tend to have dry eyes, avoid metallic/glitter, powder or other makeup that flakes. Flakes can get into the tear film and increase your eyes’ irritation. Glitter eye makeup is a common cause of corneal irritation or infection, especially in contact lens users.

 Always remove all eye makeup at night before sleeping, especially mascara that can stick to the lashes. Brush a clean cotton swab along the base of the eyelashes to remove all makeup remnants. If you use eye makeup remover, avoid getting it in your eyes and thoroughly rinse remover off your eyelids.

If at any time you have eye surgery, do not wear makeup around the eye until your eye surgeon tells you it is safe to do so, and then use only fresh, new makeup.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading Alabama vision centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract care including cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.