Women’s pursuit of fashion has always involved elements of both pain and risk, from foot binding to corsets and towering stiletto heels, but now it’s the eyes that are being manipulated in the name of beauty.

A new breed of cosmetic contact lenses called circle lenses that originated in South Korea, but have now become extremely popular with teenagers and young twenty something women, as they being bigger than the iris, they give the wearer a wide-eyed, doll-like look.

Lady Gaga, who wore them in her ‘Bad Romance’ video made them famous and are now being sold online on numerous sites, while the video that explains how to create the look has been watched 10 million times.

Copying the doe-eyed look of some Asian cartoon characters, some of these circle lenses also have fashion brand logos printed on them.

Many Asian girls aspiring for bigger and rounder eyes are buying the lenses that are being marketed with the promise that they make eye surgery for bigger eyes completely unnecessary.

However, Joe Chakman, Chief Executive of Australia’s Optometrists Association said, infections can occur if contact lenses are not fitted properly.

While, NSW does not permit supply of normal contact lenses without a prescription, there are no restrictions on the sale of cosmetic lenses.

Chakman said infections significant vision loss caused by infections from these contact lenses has been seen in people.

The dangerous new trend has made circle lenses illegal in the USA, though they are still being bought over the Internet.

According to New York Times, Lady Gaga was not wearing circle lenses, rather her gaze was computer-generated in the video.

The American Optometric Association says wearing these lenses without consulting an eye doctor places the wearer at risk of serious bacterial infection, even significant damage to the eye’s ability to function, with the potential for irreversible sight loss.