(KUSA) – Doctors are warning people about a painful mix-up: mistaking eyelash or nail glue for eye drops.
Health care workers said they are seeing more and more patients who have made this major mistake.
While it typically doesn’t cause permanent damage, it can be painful and require medical attention.
A TikTok video from one woman who made the mistake went viral with more than 6 million views. She said she was “half asleep” and needed to put her antibiotic eyedrops in, but she accidentally grabbed KISS nail glue.
The woman posted a video from her hospital bed, showing a tube rinsing out her eye.
Dr. Richard Davidson, with University of Colorado Health, said the mistake is “relatively common” and said the glue dries in a matter of seconds.
“Yeah, it’s actually relatively common. It does seem to come in waves at times,” Davidson said. “It’s amazing how many products look similar and we can end up with putting them in the eye by accident.”
The lash and nail glue bottles are often a similar size and shape to eye drop bottles. Davidson said if someone is distracted or can’t see well, the mistake could easily be made.
He suggests people read the labels out loud before using them and to store the bottles in different places to avoid mix-ups.
If you do make the mistake, Davidson said there are steps to follow to avoid damage.
“We really encourage you if you can get to a sink, try and wash it out and try and loosen the lashes,” he said. “There are times when we have to cut the lashes if they’re glued together, and there are times if it’s on the eye itself, we have to gently kind of scrape it or peel it off. So, it’s rare to cause extreme permanent damage, but it can be very uncomfortable for the first couple of days.”
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