Doctors’ warn against using DIY hair dye as woman goes temporarily blind after colouring hair at home

A new haircut has left a woman temporarily blind after a severe reaction to a beauty product widely used in the UK.

The unnamed 61-year-old French woman was using an over-the-counter hair dye when she experienced blurred vision a few days later.

Doctors investigating the case tested her eyes with equipment similar to that used by opticians and found that she showed severe signs of retinopathy.

Retinopathy is the medical term for damage to the blood vessels that supply the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, which allows us to see.

Report the case in the magazine JAMA OphthalmologyThe doctors determined that the cause was the woman’s use of hair dye containing paraphenylenediamine.

Paraphenylenediamine, which belongs to the class of chemicals called aromatic amines, has previously been linked to health problems.

The NHS lists paraphenylenediamine as a common ingredient in many hair dyes and states that it is the leading cause of allergic reactions to these products. The chemical is found in particularly high levels in darker shades.

Doctors in the most recent case suspected that the woman’s vision problems were related to exposure to paraphenylenediamine, based on the timing of her symptoms shortly after using the product.

However, they did not report any product getting into the eyes, suggesting the chemical entered the bloodstream through other means.

It would take four months for the woman’s vision to return to normal.

Doctors added that after switching to a hair dye without paraphenylenediamine, the patient experienced no further problems during four years of follow-up.

However, they did note that she had signs of damage to her eyes, which is more commonly associated with aging.

The doctors concluded their report by noting that cases of retinopathy caused by hair dye remain extremely rare.

They suspected that the paraphenylenediamine could enter the bloodstream through small cuts in the scalp and from there disrupt the normal chemical reactions that keep the cells in the eye healthy.

However, they noted that this was theoretical and that no such scalp lacerations had been observed in their or other reported cases of this phenomenon.

They said that despite the rarity of the condition, doctors should consider hair dye-related retinopathy when treating patients, advising them to avoid exposure to the condition and limiting potential damage to their eyes.

The NHS emphasises that products containing paraphenylenediamine are safe to use as the levels allowed in hair dye are strictly controlled.

According to the report, most reactions to paraphenylenediamine are caused by people not following hair dye instructions and accidentally using too much hair dye.

The doctors did not report whether the woman in question had used the product correctly.