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Going to sleep without washing off your mascara can lead to permanent eye damage. A 50-year-old woman from Sydney, Australia, needed surgery to remove years of mascara that had built up under her eyelid and left her with permanent scarring.

Theresa Lynch went to her ophthalmologist to complain about an uncomfortable sensation in both of her eyes, the Daily Mail reported. She told Dr. Dana Robaei that she had not properly removed her eye makeup for the past 25 years.

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Robaei found multiple black lumps embedded in Lynch’s eyelids. The mascara she often forgot to remove had stayed in the mucus lining of her eyes and was beginning to damage her sight.

Mascara can enter your eyes very easily. Most products that promise to lengthen or enhance your lashes often contain synthetic fibres. This ingredient is known to flake off and can pose a threat to your eyes if not removed daily. Black mascara also contains oils, waxes, carbon and iron oxides that can be harmful if they come into contact with your eyeballs.