Scary Eyes for Halloween? Beware and Take Care!
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We can help you see well and be scary!
Its a tradition for adults, teens and even children to wear colored contact lenses during Halloween, but few are aware of the risks involved. Ever wondered what those cat-eye contacts are doing to your eyes? If you got them without a prescription, beware of health complications.
Enjoy a safe and happy Halloween by educating yourself and others about the dangers of wearing colored contact lenses without a prescription.
Can Online and OTC sales of colored lenses be harmful?
Contact lenses made to change one’s appearance go by many names: cosmetic, theatrical, Halloween, circle, decorative, colored, or costume contact lenses. While it’s illegal to sell colored contact lenses without a prescription, authorities rarely enforce the law -- which means they’re still accessible in many places.
As contact lenses have turned into a commodity and not a medical device, many believe that wearing non-prescription color contact lenses is harmless. This unfortunate myth has led to many ocular complications. Most people simply describe these complications as “dry”, while it could very well be because the lens is not a good fit. Ideally, the lens should follow the contour of the eye, and stay centered, with enough lens movement to allow tear exchange beneath the lens.
Furthermore, non-medical colored contact lenses are often produced by unlicensed manufacturers that tend to use inferior plastic and toxic materials, such as lead (often used in lens coloring), which can get absorbed through the eyes into the bloodstream. These illegal lenses may also contain high levels of bacteria from unsanitary packaging, shipping, and storage conditions.
Therefore, purchasing any kind of contact lenses without a prescription or medical oversight can result in a variety of eye complications, such as corneal abrasions, eye sores, conjunctivitis, other eye infections, vision impairment and, in rare cases, even permanent vision loss.
Even if you have perfect vision, all contact lenses, including colored contacts, require a prescription and proper fitting by an optometrist.
Call our office for an appointment (704-821-5009).
Photo by Ernesto Norman on Unsplash