Renal and kidney failure are the worst things that a lot of people will ever face in their lives. As such one can imagine the relief that Shirley Potter felt when her daughters asked her out for the night. The 50 year old mother had more than earned some distraction from her medical issues and loved the idea of stepping out with her family. It was a nice escape from the world of medical threats. And it continued as such for a while. She was so excited that she’d even bought a new outfit and really prepared for a night on the town. And that preparation included putting on makeup. The catch is that she hadn’t done so for years at that point. As she was nearly ready her husband would comment on the fact that her eyes looked a little red. But this wasn’t a huge surprise for Shirley. After all, she had dealt with a defect on her left eye for years. It meant she didn’t have any sight or feeling in it. With that she soon forgot all her problems as she headed out for a night of fun with her daughters. But all of that would change the morning after. Shirley woke with a feeling of pain in both eyes. She quickly rushed to an ophthalmologist. But he wasn’t able to find any new source of medical concern with her eyes. Meanwhile her eyesight was deteriorating at a rapid pace.
She endured months of new pain on top of the already persistent issues with her organs. And it came to a final head when she fell over a pram at the store. She simply wasn’t able to see such a large and imposing device. One specifically designed to stand out in front of people’s eyes. Her husband insisted that the time for being understanding was over. She had a serious medical issue and they needed to get to the bottom of it. Fueled with that determination she was finally able to receive a diagnosis. She’d obtained a severe infection in both of her eyes. The ophthalmologist also had a clue about what the cause might be. He asked her if she had been using older makeup. Or if any of the makeup she’d been using was out of date. After giving it some thought she realized how old the makeup she’d used was. It had sat mostly unused for about twenty years. This is when she was asked about expiration dates.
She had been totally unaware that there even were expiration dates for cosmetics. It turned out that most eye based cosmetics are only designed to be used for a period of six months. Shirley explains that as someone who just didn’t wear makeup very often it wasn’t even on her radar. Some antibiotics helped her fight off the infection. But sadly, the damage had been done. Eyes often won’t heal up very well. And hers were no exception. It’s not even just the damage that exists at the moment either. Specialists have told her that she’ll be blind within three years. She’s already reached a point where she can’t drive. And this has prompted her to speak out to others. She warns others not to repeat her mistake. In the end, she hopes women will be careful about checking expiration dates on makeup.
