Vision-impaired mascara? It’s finally a thing, thanks to leading Australian ophthalmologist, Dr. Jacqueline Beltz.
With her new brand, OKKIYO, Dr Beltz has designed and pioneered Australia’s first-ever accessible mascara. Her new OKKIYO Prioriteyes Mascara offers consumers with some type of eye sensitivity or low vision the ability to wear mascara comfortably. Prioriteyes Mascara features NaviLens accessibility codes, braille and a square vessel to avoid rolling away. It also contains medical grade Manuka Honey to soothe the lashes.
Dr. Beltz has over two decades of experience in her field, and she found that her patients would avoid wearing mascara due to their eye sensitivity. Furthermore, she highlighted some important facts around eye health in Australia and New Zealand, when creating this brand.
- 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment
- 57 percent of Australians over the age of 50 suffer from dry eyes
- 23 percent of ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand are female
What’s this vision-impaired mascara all about, then?
OKKIYO is a play on the Italian word for eye – occhio, and it’s certainly a game-changer. Prioriteyes Mascara, the brand’s hero, is for people with sensitive eyes and other eye conditions. Whether it’s contact lens wear, dry eyes, or allergies, it will deliver lush lashes. It has no irritants and is the first Australian beauty brand to cater to the over 2.2 billion people globally with low vision.
Dr. Beltz spent three years creating this magic wand. The result is a featherlight, fabulous multi-purpose mascara that defines, volumises, nourishes and protects eyelashes. It contains medical grade Manuka honey as part of a scientifically based formulation. Not only that, this vision-impaired mascara features accessibility at the forefront.
Its packaging is prominent with braille and accessibility codes (also called NaviLens). Users can easily scan the code to have information and ingredients read out to them. Prioriteyes also comes in a square tube. This means it won’t roll out of reach and potentially out of sight for people with low vision.
But wait, there’s more…
Alongside the hero mascara, OKKIYO boasts Cleansing Cloths to remove all traces of eye makeup, dirt, and oil effectively from the eye area, without irritation. Plus, there’s a nifty lighted magnifying mirror so you can apply and touch up makeup even without your glasses.
Our verdict?
It only took one application for us to be hooked on this lash-lengthening, volume-boosting mascara. It has a beautifully soft and well-shaped brush that grabs your lashes (even those hard-to-find inner corner ones) and stretches them to lengths you’ve never known before. plus, it thickens and curls, without smudging or smearing throughout the day.
But, what we really love is that a portion of profits go to supporting Aboriginal Eye Health, improvements for people with low vision and general eye health research.
