8A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
THURSDAY,OCTOBER 31,2002
1
Cosmetic lenses could cause serious, permanent damage
By Erin Beatty
ebeatty@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Contributed art
Students who plan to wear cosmetic contact tenses without a prescription for Halloween have more to fear tonight than the holiday.
The Food and Drug Administration recently released a report warning consumers of the serious health risks presented by cosmetic contact lenses worn without a prescription and without a proper fitting by an eye care professional.
Those risks include eye infection, swelling, allergic reaction, corneal abrasion, reduction in acuteness of vision, and permanent eye injury - potentially leading to blindness.
In recent years, consumers seeking a "new look" or a costume accessory began using the decorative contact lenses, either with or without a prescription.
Daniel Smith, optometrist at Lawrence Optometric Clinic, 950 Iowa St., said decorative lenses had become increasingly popular during the past 10 years because prices have decreased and more companies produce them.
With a prescription and a proper fitting, the colored lenses
Cat-eye-shaped lenses are a popular decorative contact for Halloween.
do not pose a threat to the wearer, which is why consumers can buy them at typical eyewear clinics.
Standard disposable contact lenses typically cost about $50 for a six-pack, on top of the fitting fee and the exam fee. Smith said. He said typical fitting fees ranged from $75 to $110 and exam fees were typically about $70.
Consumers who do not have a prescription and do not want to pay for the exam and fitting can find colored lenses at flea markets, convenience stores and beach shops, according to the FDA report.
They can also find them on manufacturers' Web sites such as "Wild Eyes" at www.wildcontacts.com.
Smith said the sale of colored contacts without a prescription was illegal in Kansas because of the possible hazards.
Types of common eye damage
from the lenses that Smith mentioned were corneal ulcers, which he said were hard to treat and could leave scars, and corneal neovascularization, which was when blood vessels form in areas of the eye where they shouldn't.
Brian Vilcek, Lawrence resident, said he thought about wearing a friend's purple-colored lenses as part of his Halloween costume, but changed his mind after learning about the risks.
"I'm for sure not going to wear them if they're going to make me blind." Vilcek said.
Last year, 1,500 people ended up in emergency rooms nationwide because of contact lens-related injuries, according to a report by ABC News.
Kevin Lenahan, optometrist at R. Kevin Lenahan O.D. & Associates, 935 Iowa St., said he had treated about two or three dozen people who had injuries from wearing contacts that didn't fit properly.
He said lenses that did not properly fit a person's eyes could be visually threatening and have severe consequences.
"They could even lose an eye over it," Lenahan said.
— Edited by Andy Samuelson
Rapper Jam Master Jay of Run DMC shot dead
The Associated Press
NEW YORK—Run Master Jay part of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, was shot and killed at a New York City recording studio yesterday, the group's publicist suid.
Publicist Tracy Miller confirmed the death of the 37-year-old rapper, whose real name was Jason Mizell.
He was shot once in the head and was dead at the scene, said Detective Robert Price, a police spokesman. He said the shooter remained at large and police had no information about a motive.
A second man, identified by police as 25-year-old Urieco Rincon, was shot in the leg and was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital. The hospital did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Run DMC is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into music's mainstream, including the group's smash collaboration with Aerosmith on the 1980s standard "Walk This Way."
"We always knew rap was for everyone," Mizell said in a 2001 interview with MTV. "Anyone could rap over all kinds of music."
"I wasn't the soulful R&B of the '70s and '80s," he said of the group's early work. "So we didn't want to be like the soft R&B. We wanted to go hardcore, so we put the rock-and-roll on our rap."
Mizell served as the group's disc jockey, providing background for singers Joseph Simmons, better known as DJ Run, and Darryl McDaniels, better known as DMC.
Mizell was married and had three children, Miller said.
"He was a great producer, a hard worker," Miller said told The Associated Press. "He's a family man."
Dozens of fans gathered on the outskirts of the crime scene in Queens, where the members of Run DMC grew up.
"They're the best. They're the pioneers in hip-hop," said fan Arlene Clark, 59.
Another fan who lives nearby, Leslie Bell, 33, said the members
of Run DMC often let local musicians record for free at their studio.
"That was their decision, to stay here and give back to the community," Bell said. "He is one great man. The good always die young. He's the good guy."
Miller said Mizell and McDaniels had planned to perform in Washington, D.C., on Thursday at a Washington Wizards basketball game. Mizell had performed on Tuesday in Alabama, Miller said.
The trio released a greatest-hits album earlier this year. In 2001, the rappers produced "Crown Royal," breaking an eight-year silence.
In 1986, the trio said they were outraged by the rise of fatal gang violence in the Los Angeles area. They called for a day of peace between warring street gangs.
"This is the first town where you feel the gangs from the minute you step into town to the time you leave," Mizell said at the time.
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