Decorative contact lenses, which may be expired or even recycled, are being sold illegally in sidewalk flea markets, beauty shops and gas stations.

Carroll County resident Felisa Anne Brown told Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Regan that she purchased tinted nonprescription contact lenses from an Atlanta flea market last month for $20. She said she wanted to change the color of her eyes to blue.

"Did you just think these were safe to wear?" asked Regan.

"Yes," said Brown.

But in just three days of wearing the lenses, she developed a severe infection in her corneas.

"When I woke up, they were red, puffy. I had water running from my eyes. They wouldn't stay open. I honestly thought I was going blind," said Brown.

Brown's eye doctor said her corneas were inflamed, a condition referred to as conjunctivitis or keratitis.

"She had not developed a corneal ulcer, which is what we're most concerned about," said Dr. Bruce Bell.

Doctors say decorative contact lenses that are not prescribed or professionally fitted can cause permanent injury, even blindness.

Such over the counter lenses may also have been recycled and used by other people, according to Dr. Tom Spetalnick, clinical director of the Woolfson Eye Institute.

"I mean, you definitely don't want to play Russian roulette with your vision. If you take a stab in the dark on whether the lenses fit, that's what you're doing," said Spetalnick.

A Channel 2 Action News undercover producer recently purchased decorative contact lenses at two locations in metro Atlanta, including a gas station and fashion shoe store.

The contact lenses were made in Korea. The packaging featured the Food and Drug Administration logo. But when Regan called the FDA in Washington, he was told the contact brand was not registered in the government database.

The FDA also said it is illegal to sell the lenses over the counter without a prescription. According to the Georgia Optometric Association, it is a felony offense to sell contact lenses without a license.

Regan went back to the gas station to ask if they knew it was illegal to sell contact lenses without a license.

"No I did not know that," said a female clerk. She then removed the display from the counter.

Brown said she could not drive or go outside for a week following her eye infection. She said she will not buy over the counter decorative lenses again.