Woman Spent 13 Hours in the Hospital After Having a Bad Reaction to Shein Lashes

Online shopping megastores like Shein and Temu definitely make shopping a seamless and enjoyable experience. After all, where else can you find press-on nails for $1.34 (I’ve purchased quite a few myself) or five pairs of socks for under $2? You can’t! While your dollar certainly stretches much farther when shopping on the Shein website, not all items may be deemed a good buy, let alone safe.

A woman on TikTok, Mika (@mikaneila), recently detailed her experience with what she thinks was a bad batch of Shein false eyelashes. She also documented her reaction to wearing the lashes, and believe me, it’s not something you ever want to go through. Here’s Mika’s story and her explanation of how she became (temporarily) legally blind.

On Aug. 3, 2023, TikToker @mikaneila, who goes by Mika, uploaded a video of herself with blood-shot eyes. The caption read, “Idk but since wearing those SHEIN lashes somethings different.” While the first video didn’t offer much insight as to why her eyes turned crimson, her third video broke down exactly what she thinks happened, and why she was left legally blind (though she says she will recover).

It all started after Mika put on her go-to cat eye false lashes she purchased from Shein. For reference, she says she frequently buys the 7-pair pack and has never had any issues.

After heading out with her lashes freshly attached, Mika felt fine (and looked fabulous). But after about 6–8 hours passed, Mika says she started feeling what she thought was a muscle strain in the top of her eye. As most people would, Mika brushed off the pain and attributed it to fatigue.

Sadly, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Mika’s left eye soon began showing signs of inflammation and eventually started swelling up. By the end of the night, Mika says her eye became even more red. Still thinking it was nothing quite serious but possibly just a case of conjunctivitis (pink eye), Mika headed to the chemist (in the U.S. we call them pharmacists) for some antibacterial drops.

As her condition continued to worsen (both eyes swelled and she began experiencing flu-like symptoms), Mika headed to the hospital where she would spend the next 13 hours undergoing tests. She said she even had to take a CT and get injected with dye (not fun!).

"It's not an allergic reaction, it was an infection," Mika later revealed. After spending more than half a day at the hospital, doctors concluded that Mika had developed an infection, possibly from the Shein false lashes she had previously worn. However, because they couldn’t offer her the proper eye treatment, she was advised to seek care from an optometrist, which she later did (about 10 times).

Not only did the infection cause her eyes to become increasingly red, but she says the pain was “unimaginable.” She also says she was deemed legally blind and couldn't drive or see the TV. Thankfully, her physician informed her that she was expected to make a full recovery, meaning she wouldn’t be legally blind forever.

After Mika’s videos began gaining traction on TikTok, many took to the comments section to question the type of glue she used. Others admitted that they’ve been using the same lashes from Shein for years and have never had a problem.

But Mika says it wasn’t the glue because she applied the lashes with her own glue, which she regularly uses. She also addressed the fact that she too, has been using Shein's false lashes for a while and has never experienced any issues like this before.

While Mika did contact Shein to discuss the situation, she said she couldn’t comment on the matter just yet. Her biggest takeaway, however, is that if you’re going to continue buying false lashes from Shein, “just give em’ a little wipe before wearing them babes.”