Halloween Eye Safety: Be Cautious Of Decorative Contact Lenses!

Sooner or later, Halloween spirit is bound to get rub off on you. You know the drill. Everyone tries his or her best to outdo others in an epic bid to look different and spectacular. To assemble the perfect Halloween costome, you get outlandish clothes, wear the most ghoulish makeup and even try to change the look of your eyes by using decorative non-corrective contact lenses. But ophthalmologists warn that these decorative contact lenses, when used without a prescription, can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight.

Although you always have to be careful about your eye safety (your eyes don't grow back, after all), it is during Halloween that an overwhelming influx of patients come to emergency departments everywhere with an eye injury. Every year around Halloween, the FDA issues guidelines for eye safety. But people tend to ignore them and compromise the safety of their eyes, perhaps thinking that these horror stories will never affect them personally. 

Those spooky contact lenses are for sale on Amazon or at your local costume shop, you think, so they must be safe, right? Actually, no. Not necessarily, and especially if you don't know how to use contact lenses because you don't usually wear them.

FDA warns public to avoid using decorative contact lenses

The FDA has joined hands with ophthalmologists from various professional associations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists and the American Optometric Association, to impress upon the public the burning need to avoid using decorative contact lenses.

Decorative contact lenses are also called by the names of fashion contact lenses, color contact lenses, Plano, zero powered or non-corrective contact lenses. They are used to change the color of the eye or to give the eye a weird look. Novelty contact lenses can make the eyes glow in dark or create an illusion of vertical eyes. It is because of this reason that these lenses sell like hot cakes around Halloween. You can easily get them from street vendors, salons, boutiques, flea markets, novelty stores, convenience stores, record and video stores, beach shops, and stores specializing in Halloween goods. These lenses can also be bought through internet. These lenses can be bought for as little as $20.

But the FDA warns that decorative contact lenses should never be bought from the aforementioned places. The sale of decorative contact lenses is governed by federal laws. They have been classified as prescription or medical devices and their sale is regulated by the FDA. They cannot be sold as over-the-counter merchandise.

The FDA states that it is mandatory for any person wishing to buy a pair of decorative contact lens to consult an ophthalmologist before. The doctor would examine the eyes of the person and then prescribe the lenses according to the person’s need. It is a misconception that contact lenses come in a single fit for all sizes and hence there is no need to involve a doctor. Your ophthalmologist would measure the size of your cornea as well as the curvature, and then prescribe lenses which are a perfect fit for your eye.

Buy Decorative Contact Lenses On Your Eye Specialist’s Prescription

While you can buy fashion contact lenses at as little as $20 at the flea market, a visit to the ophthalmologist and getting special lenses on the basis of his prescription would cost at least $100. So why is it important to buy decorative contact lenses on your eye specialist’s prescription?

Oversized contact lenses slip against your cornea and may result in corneal abrasions. This causes excruciating pain and redness in the eye and there is no choice left but to visit emergency department of a hospital.

Do you want to be permanently blind within 24 hours?

Decorative contact lenses sold in Halloween stores are seldom sold on prescription. Moreover, there are no directions given on the proper use and cleaning of the contact lenses. If you fail to clean your lenses after an appropriate duration of time or do not keep them in the proper solution after use, the lenses do not remain moist or clean. Using these dirty lenses can give rise to a severe infection of both the conjunctiva and the cornea.

Such a dangerous infection of the conjunctiva gives rise to a red eye, whereas corneal infection can soon lead to the formation of corneal ulcers because of rapid proliferation of bacteria on the cornea. If not attended to promptly, corneal ulcers can cause permanent blindness within 24 hours of the onset of the infection.

Using the non-corrective contact lenses bought from novelty stores or beach shops can also give rise to severe allergic reactions in the eye. These may include itching, burning sensation, excessive watering or redness of the eyes.

You should also be careful about the expiry date mentioned on the lens package. Using contact lenses beyond the expiry date is a sure invitation to eye infection.

Also remember that wearing bigger than normal contact lenses to give you a wide-eyed doll like look has not been approved by the FDA.

Important points to remember while using decorative contact lenses

There are certain important points which you should strictly adhere to while using decorative contact lenses. They include:

• Always get a valid prescription from your eye specialist before buying contact lenses. The prescription should clearly mention the brand, the size, and the expiry date of the lenses. It should also include proper instructions about taking optimal care of the lenses.

• Never buy lenses from shops which sell them as an over-the-counter product. Remember that the sale of decorative contact lenses is guarded by the FDA as prescription devices in the United States. If any shop or internet site offers to sell contact lenses without a doctor’s prescription, never buy your lenses from it. Although the rules are different in other countries, the advice remains the same.

• Follow the proper instructions with regard to wearing, cleaning, disinfecting and storing your contact lenses. If your lenses are dailies, do not reuse them. These lenses are meant to be discarded after one use.

• Never ever share your lenses with somebody else. They are your lenses, which fit your eye. Also sharing the lenses may lead to sharing very harmful bacteria as well.

• Do not ignore any pain or discharge from the eyes, even for a short time. The general tendency is that we will see the doctor once the party is over. Please do not take such liberties with your eyes. Infections in the eye spread very fast and you may be left regretting for life.

Always remember that age old saying — prevention is better than cure. Follow these simple steps before buying your decorative contact lenses and then become the star of your Halloween party.