At least 148 people have gone to A&E with eye injuries at a carnival in Brazil after rain caused hair products they had used to run into their eyes.

In one emergency eye clinic in Recife, 68 people were treated on 5th and 6th February.

They had gone in with vision problems after getting hair products in their eyes at pre-carnival events in Recife and neighbouring Olinda.

Two other eye clinics saw 80 patients over the weekend with similar problems.

The clinics revealed that the patients had complained of redness, severe pain, difficulty opening their eyes, blurred vision, and sensations of burning or of a foreign body.

The patients – both men and women – reported using various products in their hair.

Civil servant Eduarda Casanova told local media: “When it rained, I felt the product used in my braid run down my face and fall into my eyes.

“I felt a burning sensation and washed it off right away. I managed to get a good part of the product off.

“At night, around 10pm, I had hazy vision, and then I couldn’t see anything.”

After going to a private clinic the next morning, the doctor who saw her told her the hair product had caused an inflammation of her corneas.

Eduarda continued: “My vision came back later that the morning, after the doctor gave me some eye drops. Now, I need to spend a few days with a patch on my eye.

“Each day I put the patch on one eye to rest it, I alternate, the way the doctor recommended. I’m away from work, but now I’m fine.”

Stay-at-home-mum Mayara Santana had a similar experience with a hair pomade she had bought at a cosmetics store.

She told local media: “I used the pomade to braid my hair. Around 5pm, it started to rain and I felt an intense discomfort, a very intense burning in my eyes.

“That’s when I sought medical care at the pre-carnival site. They removed my make-up and washed my eyes with serum.”

She continued: “In the early hours of Sunday it rained again and I felt discomfort again. I decided to go to a hospital because I couldn’t see anything anymore.”

At the hospital, Mayara was diagnosed with a retinal burn. Her vision only came back 12 hours later, she said.

Mayara added: “In A&E, there were five other girls in the same situation as me. Nobody knew about the risk of these pomades.”

So many patients went in for eye injuries over the weekend that the exact number who received treatment is unclear.

Local ophthalmologist Kayo Esposito told media: “Several different injuries can take place, but the majority are inflammations of the cornea.

“Most patients recover, but if there is a severe impairment of the cornea, people may need a transplant.”

Prior to the events, health officials had already seized and banned the sale of some pomades used to braid hair.