Many wear makeup to make themselves feel good, but some common habits could have bad consequences, particularly for your eye health and vision.

Nimmi Mistry, professional services optician at Vision Direct warns of the makeup habits many are guilty of which could lead to sight loss.

Doing your make-up on the go

Doing makeup on the train, bus or tube is common practice for many. For some it is a way to transition from day to night to go out, for others it is a chance to save time on the morning commute, however this seemingly innocent act could have dire consequences for your eyesight.

A recent study, by Vision Direct, swabbed the London tube lines to reveal the bacteria lurking and the results were grim. The swabs discovered that on the Victoria line seat there were exceptionally high colony-forming units (CFU) of 16000 for E. coli. On the Metropolitan line there were traces of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (400 CFU) and Faecal Streptococci and enterococci (960 CFU) on the seat and the pole (80 CFU).

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also found on an Oxford Circus escalator handrail (720 CFU), the Northern line seat (200 CFU) and the Waterloo & City line pole (40 CFU).

But what impact these bacteria could have on the eyes?

Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium that can cause severe eye infections, particularly in individuals who wear contact lenses or are immunocompromised. This bacterium can cause inflammation of the cornea, a condition commonly known as microbial keratitis (MK).

The impact of this type of bacteria can be sight-threatening. Some symptoms of this type of infection include:

• Pain and redness
• Discharge
• Blurry vision
• Photophobia
• Ulceration

E. coli and streptococci: Streptococci is most known to cause eye infections, however, E. coli which spreads to the eye can be as equally infectious. One eye infection that can be caused by these bacteria is bacterial conjunctivitis, the symptoms of which include redness, irritation, discharge, and crusting of the eyelids.  Conjunctivitis is mostly self-limiting, meaning it will resolve independently. However, sufferers of bacterial conjunctivitis may need to resort to antibiotic eye drops if symptoms persist.

In more severe cases, especially when the cornea is compromised due to injury or trauma (such as an abrasion or scratch), E-coli and streptococci can cause corneal infections including ulcers. This can result in significant pain, blurred vision, and potential scarring of the cornea. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important to seek immediate medical advice, to prevent any long-term complications.

Going to bed with your make-up on

Not removing makeup before bed can cause makeup debris to make its way into the eye, leading to the cornea gets scratched, and rubbing your eyes in the morning can only make matters worse. Once you have a corneal abrasion, bacteria and fungi can more easily infiltrate the eye, leading to infectious keratitis.

If this is not treated promptly, these infections can encourage the growth of blood vessels in the cornea, leading to scarring; and untreated keratitis can lead to possible blindness. In fact, a recent study stated that infectious keratitis is among the top five leading causes of blindness globally.

Other issues that may occur from sleeping in your make up include the development of styes and chalazions. A stye is a tiny bump on the edge of the eyelid margin, commonly caused by a bacterial infection, such as blepharitis (which affects the eyelid margins/lashes). Generally, more painful, styes are acute in development with a quick resolution.

A chalazion is a swelling of the oil producing gland known as Meibomian glands (located at lid margins), and larger than styes. Typically chronic, chalazions are painless and require no treatment. Meibomian glands work best when open, to maximise their efficiency in producing oils, an essential component of the human tear film, alongside water and mucous; to keep our eyes protected and hydrated.

Makeup such as eyeliner potentially could block the Meibomian glands, increasing chances of developing chalazions and styes. Therefore, you must make sure when removing make-up to remove all make-up carefully and use products that are eye friendly.

Not cleaning brushes and applicators

A 2020 study found that make-up brushes were found to have staphylococcus aureus present. This is a major pathogen of the eye able to infect the tear duct, eyelid, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior and posterior chambers, and the vitreous chamber. One infection this could lead to is bacterial conjunctivitis. Symptoms of this infection include:

Yellow or green sticky discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night that may prevent your eye or eyes from opening in the morning.

• Redness in one or both eyes
• Itchiness in one or both eyes
• A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
• Tearing or watery eyes
• Photophobia

To kill any harmful bacteria that lingers in your makeup brushes and prevent these issues, it’s a good idea to wash your brushes every 7 to 10 days.

Using expired products

In the same way that dirty makeup brushes can have bacteria build up on them, so can the makeup products themselves. Even though makeup contains preservatives that help prevent bacteria from living in the products, they can still be contaminated with regular use. Take mascara for example, the spool touches the eyelashes and then is placed back inside the product. This happens repeatedly, often without the spool being cleaned, leading to the spread of bacteria to the eyes. A 2023 study found that 1 in 10 Brits admitted to not cleaning their makeup applicators enough.

Here are some general replacement guidelines for eye makeup products:

• Mascara and liquid eyeliner typically are considered safe to use for three months, six months maximum. Liquid products used near the eye have an increased risk of spreading bacteria.
• Pencil-style eyeliners and gel eyeliners can be used for up to a year.
• Powder products, such as eye shadows, if stored properly, free from moisture and used with clean brushes/applicators, are good for up to two years.

Ensure that you check the dates on cosmetics and check the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging so you know how long products should be kept for safe use.

Sharing products

Your eyes are the most sensitive part of your face which contains a lot of personalised bacteria so by sharing makeup you’re essentially trading germs. Cross-contamination occurs when you use the same brushes, mascara, eyeshadow and eyeliner with someone else. This person could have an infection such as bacterial conjunctivitis which is highly contagious.

The person you are sharing makeup with may not even know they have an infection, but this won’t stop it spreading through sharing makeup. Bacterial conjunctivitis can be treated with eye drops to help with your symptoms. If symptoms persist after two weeks of treatments speak to your doctor.

Wearing contact lenses whilst having an eye infection can slow down the recovery and aggravate your eyes, so stop wearing your contact lenses until the infection has completely cleared and be sure to throw away any eye makeup used from the moment symptoms were experienced.