Rihanna with a possibly dangerous hairdo
Australian doctor Andrew Hogan has spoken out to condemn 'emo' haircuts with heavy fringes, saying that they could lead to lazy eye syndrome.
Hogan, education director of the Optometrists Association of Tasmania said: "If a young emo chap has a fringe covering one eye all the time, that eye won't see a lot of deatil. And if it happens from a young age, that eye can become amblyotic."
'Amblyotic' is the medical term for lazy eye syndrome. It is thought that the most vulnerable age for the development of vision is from birth to seven years, but new research has suggested that vision can still be affected after this age.
However, Hogan's claims have been refuted by Stateside doctors, with Dr Leonard Press of New Jersey stating to MSNBC: "The story would only be true if you had somebody young enough, and if that person never looked out of that eye - if itwas blocked 24/7. The reason it's false is that you don't have that constant deprivation."