Mother rips off top layer of her eye trying to remove novelty Halloween contact lenses that FUSED ON Nicola Cavanagh bought a pair of 'cat's eyes' lenses to wear to a party But couldn't get the £10 'one day' wear lenses off at the end of the night Lenses had fused to front of her eye and ripped her cornea when removed 42-year-old said: 'It felt like someone was pouring bleach into my eyes' Still cannot see properly, has to wear sunglasses and take time off work A mother was left in agony after her Halloween contact lenses fused to her eye and had to be effectively ripped off. Nicola Cavanagh bought a pair of £10 'cat's eyes' lenses to wear to a party last weekend. But when it came to the end of the night, the 42-year-old could not get them out. Over the course of seven hours, the lenses had stuck fast to both her eyes. Nicola Cavanagh bought a pair of £10 'cat's eyes' lenses (pictured) to wear to a Halloween party last weekend Helped by her partner, Miss Cavanagh, from Dundee, eventually managed to remove lenses after an hour and a half, but was in such agony she had to go to hospital. There, a consultant confirmed the lenses had fused to her eye and removing them had damaged the top lining to the cornea - the clear later that covers the front of the eye. Miss Cavanagh, who works at a primary school, said: 'The doctors told me the lenses had ripped or damaged the top lining to the cornea. I was shown the damage on a chart and the consultant said it was quite bad. I was panicking. She had bought the lenses from a local fancy dress shop to go with her zombie schoolgirl Halloween costume. 816 shares Describing the ordeal of trying to remove them, she said: 'It felt like someone was pouring bleach into my eyes. 'I've never felt pain like it. I was screaming - it was absolutely horrific, like stabbing pains. I went into the bathroom and splashed water on my eyes. Then my partner got me some eye wash from ASDA but that was excruciating, too. After being diagnosed in hospital she was prescribed pain relief, a lubricant gel to moisten the eye and drops to dilate her pupils to improve her vision. Her partner escorted her from the hospital with her eyes still closed from the pain. But at the end of the night, the 42-year-old could not get the lenses out, as they had 'fused' to her eyeballs Doctors confirmed removing the lenses had damaged the top lining of her cornea - the clear layer that covers the front of the eye. As a result, Miss Cavanagh's vision was so blurry she couldn't see Just last week eye experts warned that party-goers are risking going blind for using novelty contact lenses. Poorly fitting lenses can lead to scratches or ulcers on the cornea, conjunctivitis, decreased vision and even blindness. Contact lenses should only be given out by a prescription in the UK. But novelty lenses can be bought and used without any safety checks being made on the eyes. This means some people who have never used lenses before are damaging their eyes just by putting them in the wrong way - and have no idea of the dangers of poor eye hygiene. Dr David Allamby, a consultant eye surgeon, said he is concerned that people are risking severe health consequences by using novelty lenses. Decorative contact lenses need to be treated in the same way as prescription contact lenses, with thorough guidance on how to put them in and follow up care. Contact lenses should only be fitted by a optometrist who measures each eye to fit the lenses and checks how the eyes respond, he said. 'It's quite shocking that you can just pick these things up on the internet or in a fancy dress shop with no advice or aftercare.' She went to bed when she get home but had to wake every four hours to prise her eyes open to apply drops and ointment. Miss Cavanagh, who also had to wear sunglasses to keep her eyes rested, said: 'Everything was a bit blurry the next morning. Bright lights are sore because the pupils are dilated. She said the damage now seemed to be healing but said: 'It was very frightening. I couldn't see the eye chart the consultant was showing me.' She has also been off work since the incident and says her sight is so blurry she cannot read the time on her kitchen clock. Her friend, Shelley Traynor, 28, claims it also took her over an hour to remove one of her novelty lenses, which she claims became stuck to her left eyeball. She said: 'I got the right lens out OK, but when it came to the left one it was like there was no liquid in my eye at all. It was like it became fused to my eye. There was nothing to grab onto, there was no edge. The mother-of-two she eventually removed the lens after soaking the eye with warm water. She added she had followed all of the instructions on the box but her eye was left red and sore. Today, the supplier of the lenses, Smiffy's, said it was temporarily withdrawing them from sale as a precaution while the situation was investigated. Just last week eye experts warned that party-goers are risking going blind for using novelty contact lenses on Halloween. Today, the supplier of the lenses, Smiffy's, said it was temporarily withdrawing them from sale as a precaution while the situation was investigated He added: 'I have seen some terrible cases of injuries from contacts and novelty ones aren't likely to be of the same quality as those on prescription. Miss Cavanagh (before the incident) said the damage now seemed to be healing, but it had been a 'very frightening' experience Even just putting them in incorrectly can lead to tears on the cornea, then bacteria breeds behind the lens which can lead to ulcers and ultimately blindness. After a party, people might sleep in them which increases the likelihood of infection. They need to understand there is a risk of them permanently damaging their eyes. A spokeswoman for the Liverpool-based company that supplies the lenses Miss Cavangh used, said it was taking the complaint seriously. She said: 'We are sorry to hear that Nicola Cavanagh experienced this level of discomfort. However, as we do not manufacture the eye accessories we are working with, our supplier and everyone involved to establish exactly what has happened. While this investigation is being carried out we have blocked sales of the product in question as a precaution. We would like to reassure customers and consumers that all Smiffys products including the eye accessories go through testing procedures and the supplier that we purchase from is fully FDA approved. We would also like to add that we issue instructions with all of our eye accessories which are in keeping with the Opticians Act 1989, clearly stating, "It is recommended that you consult your eyecare practitioner to ensure suitability." It also includes how to safely and hygienically insert and remove the product.