She’s looking out for her TikTok followers.
Manhattan-based optometrist Jennifer Tsai is sharing the five things she would never do to her eyes — get lash extensions, not remove eye makeup, get under-eye fillers, use extended-wear contact lenses or swim in lakes or pools with contact lenses in.
Get lash extensions
Eyelash extensions, which are glued to natural eyelashes to make them look longer, thicker and darker, are growing in popularity.
One market research firm expects the value of the lash extension market to go from $1.36 billion in 2020 to $2.31 billion by 2028.
“They are beautiful, but I’ve seen so much damage that [they’ve] caused when it comes to lash loss and styes and infections,” Tsai said in a TikTok this month with more than 412,300 views.
Plus, they can be difficult to maintain. Harper’s Bazaar reports the extensions tend to last about six weeks, with “refills” to sparse areas recommended every two to three weeks.
Not remove eye makeup
“No. 2 is not double-cleansing around my eyes and removing makeup,” Tsai declared. “The clogging of the oil glands and what it does to it can cause long-term dryness and other issues.”
The Post has tested and selected nine makeup removers to keep skin clear.
Get under-eye fillers
Under-eye fillers can smooth out wrinkles and hollow spaces under the eye.
The filler tends to last six to 18 months, according to Glamour.
Tsai notes that “it’s quite obvious when it’s done” because the tissue in that area is so thin.
Serious side effects include nerve paralysis, scarring and infection. If the filler is injected too close to the skin’s surface, the skin can take on a bluish tint known as the Tyndall effect. The filler has to be dissolved in that case.
Put in extended-wear contact lenses
Tsai cautions against extended-wear lenses because “it’s essentially impossible to remember when to change your contact lenses on time, and that causes a host of other issues.”
Overwearing contacts can cause redness, sores and inflammation.
A few of Tsai’s 217,700 TikTok followers said their prescriptions are not offered as dailies, so they use a calendar or app to remind themselves to change them.
Swim in lakes or pools wearing contact lenses
Acanthamoeba is a common pathogen in lakes, rivers, tap water and swimming pools.
It can get trapped between contact lenses and eyes, leading to acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare but “pretty bad infection that causes vision loss,” Tsai said.
