Are Cosmetic Contacts Safe to Wear for Halloween?

You may want to have the perfect look for Halloween but choosing to change the look of your eyes with contact lenses could cause a lot of damage to your eyesight if you get them without the input of your eye care professional.

Decorative contact lenses change the look of your eyes. They may not correct your vision. They can temporarily change your brown eyes to blue or make your eyes look like cat eyes or vampire eyes for Halloween.

Wearing contact lenses of any kind without a prescription can cause serious vision issues. The process used to color the surface of the lenses can also cause scratches to the cornea leading to numerous health problems. Cosmetic contact lenses are typically sold at seasonal, holiday-themed novelty stores, street vendors, and online, without an examination or prescription.

Contact lenses – even those worn for cosmetic purposes - should always be purchased from an optometrist or other licensed eye care professional who require a prescription.

Below are some quick tips to remember for contact lens safety:

• Never sleep in your contact lenses unless your doctor’s prescription allows.
• Keep water away from your contact lenses. Contacts can absorb water and any bacteria it contains, which can lead to eye infections.
• Always wash your hands before touching your eyes or your contact lenses.
• Store your lenses in the proper cleaning or storage solution – never in tap water.
• Never wear a pair of contact lenses longer than prescribed by your optometrist.

For more information on The Eye Institute’s full range of traditional and specialty contact lens services, please call 215.276.6111.