Many blind to the risks of contact lenses

Although no date has been given for when the new rules will come into effect, the statement advised producers and vendors to cease making or importing cosmetic contact lenses to avoid potential financial losses, as products without the necessary certification will be blocked from sale.

The difference between good and bad lenses is "like night and day", said Lu Yanyun, director of Tongren Hospital's contact lens center in Beijing.

Manufacturers of quality products have devised a way to cushion the colored part of the lens so that it does not put pressure on the eye, she said, warning that people who use inferior varieties are risking their eyesight.

"Poor-quality lenses can scratch or even poke holes in the cornea, which can basically make you go blind," Lu said.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, one of the best-selling brands of contact lenses in China, produces two kinds of cosmetic lenses in three "natural" colors. Spokesman Yu Guoxiong said the colored layer of its lenses "doesn't touch the eye directly", while the design ensures permeability.

"Although the changes (by the central government) will have an impact (on the market in China), I think a well-regulated market will encourage more people to choose cosmetic contact lenses," Yu added.

At Bright World Glasses, a Beijing-based chain store, a saleswoman called Li said the brands she sells already meet the standards for medical apparatus.

More than half of the store's customers buy colored lenses, with lenses that replicate an animal's eyes also selling well. "They are priced at about 1,000 yuan a pair," she said. "Cheaper ones have poor permeability and often lose their color."

Even at Bright World Glasses customers do not need eye examinations prior to purchase.

Yet, contact lenses in general greatly increase the risk of infections like pink eye and can deprive the eye of oxygen. Li Zhong at Intech Eye Hospital recommended that users wear products no longer than 10 hours straight. For cosmetic lenses, it should be no more than four hours.

Cosmetic lenses, such as this one, have been reclassified as "medical apparatus" and will soon be regulated by the State Food and Drug Administration.