In her "Bad Romance" video, Lady Gaga appears to have huge eyes, and the look is catching on with teens across the US with dangerous results.

While the pop star's peepers were most likely digitally altered for the music video, fans of the look are using circle lenses -- colored contact lenses imported from Asia -- to achieve that strange-yet-alluring appearance of big, anime-style doe-eyes. The lenses come in a variety of wild colors including pink and purple. Unlike regular prescription contacts, which cover only the iris, these lenses cover part of the whites of your eyes in order to create the appearance of enlarged pupils.

Part of the human sexual response is the dilation of the pupils, making the eyes of a potential lover look larger, perhaps to draw the person in. (Thus the term "bedroom eyes"). The only problem with young people using circle lenses is that they could potentially cause permanent damage to the eyes. Circle lenses have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and eye doctors are extremely concerned that people are putting their vision at risk in the name of fashion.

"Contact lenses need to be properly fit and meticulously cared for to prevent complications such as infection and permanent damage to the cornea, which is the windshield of the eye," said Richard Kaiser, associate surgeon with Wills Eye Institute.

It is illegal to sell any contact lenses without a prescription in the U.S., yet circle lenses can be easily obtained online. Buyers can choose no prescription or enter the prescription of their choosing, in essence self-prescribing the strength of the lenses.

The lenses typically cost $20-$30 a pair and have been popular in Japan, Singapore and South Korea for some time. Now American high school and college students are spreading the word about circle lenses via Facebook, posting profile pics of themselves wearing the weird lenses. Joyce Kim, a founder of Soompi.com, an Asian pop fan site with a forum devoted to circle lenses, told The New York Times that some of her friends wear circle lenses every day. "It's like wearing mascara or eyeliner," she said.

But it isn't. Ill-fitting contact lenses not prescribed by a doctor can deprive the eyeball of oxygen, causing serious damage. The lenses could also scratch the cornea -- a high price to pay to achieve a cartoonish look.

"A contact lens is a medical device and must be fit to the patient's eye," said Dr. Marc Werner, an ophthalmologist at Stahl Eye Center in New York City. "When it is not fitted properly, the patient risks everything from minimal discomfort to loss of vision related to a contact lens infection. Unfortunately, if vision loss occurs, it may be permanent."

Michelle Phan, a Vietnamese-American blogger who is now Lancôme's first video makeup artist, posted a widely viewed YouTube video tutorial on how to use circle lenses to achieve a doll-like look. The video has been viewed more than 9.4 million times, a testimony to the popularity of circle lenses, despite all the risks.

So are there any safe alternatives to circle lenses?

"Yes most contact lens companies make color contacts but they don't have pigment all the way to the edge and don't make the eye look bigger.There are enhancers and opaques that change the eye color," said Dr. Assumpta Madu, of the Department of Ophthalmology Montefiore Medical Center.

"The bottom line is that circle lenses are being marketed to young people and [are] not regulated and you are not sure of what you are getting and what you are putting in your eyes," Madu added. "Contact lenses are medical devices and the user should be evaluated by a doctor for changes to the eye that a person may not be able to detect but may be causing permanent damage to the eye."

Watch CBS' Dr. Jennifer Ashton weigh in on the dangerous trend:




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