Ms Ambler said the technician told her she was close to finishing her work on the client when she needed to place a new drop of adhesive.

But as she opened her adhesive bottle the nozzle became stuck inside the cap and she tipped the whole bottle over the client’s right eye, face and down her back.

The technician was able to remove most of the adhesive from the client's face and cleared her left eye, but the woman still had to go to hospital to assess the extent of the damage.

It was found she had suffered significant chemical burns to her back and face due to the adhesive, which used cyanoacrylate as the bonding agent.

Ms Ambler saw the technician was based in Perth and reached out to offer help if it was needed.

“In the meantime I rang around the hospitals to try and find (the client),” she said.

“There was a case in Perth a couple of years ago where they surgically separated the girl's glued eyes and I didn’t want her to have to go through that pain.”

But Ms Ambler was quickly contacted by the technician and later got in touch with the client, who was driven by her boyfriend to Ms Ambler’s Joondalup salon about 9.15pm that night to remove the lashes.

“It was actually worse than I expected," Ms Ambler said. The pictures didn't show how bad it was and I had to not show her in my face how bad it was - as she had been through enough.”

The eyelash removal process lasted nearly four hours, with Ms Ambler unable to remove all of the adhesive.

"We got all lashes out, plus the adhesive left over her face," she said. "We couldn't removal all traces of adhesive; that’s how bad it was after hours of a removal but she was tired and was at her limit so we stopped. I got home 1am that next morning.

"She had a wedding to attend the next day and this was her very first time having extensions. She had to wear sunnies at the wedding and her eyes remained very sore."

A follow-up revealed the woman had been very lucky.

"As bad as it is, she's very lucky the chemical burns were not in a serious part of her eye and she has not had any blindness or lasting damage," Ms Ambler said.

The technician who worked on the client has since left the industry for the time being.

Ms Ambler has worked as a lash technician for more than five years and has won over 20 international awards for her work, but has consistently voiced concerns about the sliding standards she has seen in eyelash extension training in Western Australia.

"We are getting a massive influx of so-called ‘technicians’ that do a quick course, or watch something online, open up from home – [usually] under the table, so no taxes, insurance or accountability if they were to injure a client – [and they] are destroying the industry due to poor quality, unsafe work and poor health and safety standards," she said.

Ms Ambler's concerns were echoed by national industry body, the Hair and Beauty Association.

HABA secretary and WA salon owner Helen Golisano said the state's lash industry had become "open slather".

"Right now, we’ve got people training others who aren’t qualified to train. The internet and social media opened up a whole floodgate of unqualified businesses," she said.

"Anyone can walk off the street and do it. There are several suppliers in Perth who will sell their equipment to anyone – including people who are not qualified.

"Ultimately the bare minimum standard is that no one should be able to buy a professional-level product without a professional qualification.

"I believe they should at least have a Certificate IV diploma of beauty. They need to learn the diseases and the infections that can happen when working with the eyes."

The eyelash extension industry is currently unregulated in WA. Some local governments impose regulations on operating businesses, but there is no universal hygiene and product standard that must be followed by eyelash technicians.

The Department of Health confirmed it had regulations regarding skin penetration procedures – including waxing, manicures and other beauty treatments – and the Hairdressing Establishment Regulations 1972, but both set of regulations do not cover eyelash extensions.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said there were plans to adapt the regulations to reflect new trends in beauty treatments.

“The Department of Health is currently developing new regulations which will replace the Health (skin penetration procedures) regulations 1998 and the Hairdressing Establishment Regulations 1972,” she said.

"The new regulations will expand the powers of authorised officers to regulate beauty therapy procedures such as facials, spray-tanning and massage, enabling them to apply penalties or close a premises if they aren’t complying with infection control requirements or their operations pose a health risk.

"The regulations are expected to be completed in approximately two years."

However Ms Golisano said due to the fast-paced, changing nature of the industry, government was often slow to keep up and did not prioritise it.

"Ultimately there are no standards. It’s interesting because the growth in the industry is massive, but the government tries to justify not regulating it because ultimately no one’s died yet," she said.

“People need to understand we charge more because we know about infection control. We use proper sterilising units; we use the proper glue so your lashes won’t fall out within days. We treat them professionally and with precision. It’s an art, really."

Ms Ambler said until the industry was forced to operate on regulations, there were certain red flags clients should look for when picking out a lash technician, including businesses that only accepted cash; say they will agree to work before seeing client’s natural lashes; or fail to provide proof of insurance and recent training.

“You get what you pay for – this is your eyes. Quality and skill are invaluable,” she said.