The only thing in your contact lens case should be prescribed to help your vision – that’s the message from the British Contact Lens Association this week in the run-up to Halloween.
Coloured contact lenses are big business in the ‘fancy dress’ industry, with hundreds of designs which party-goers look for to complete a costume – everything from zombie eyes to cat eyes by the way of swirls and rainbows – but they also come with a warning from professional opticians about the impact they could have on your eye health.
The lenses can increase the risk of corneal ulcers and infections – a risk that increases if the contact lenses are shared around and worn by different people.
According to Optician Online, President of the British Contact Lens Association Brian Tompkins believes that the lenses should never be shared: “By sharing coloured contact lenses young people are playing Russian roulette with their eye health and putting their sight at risk. Wearing fancy lenses might make you look cool for one night on Halloween but losing your sight could be a lifelong horror story,” he said.
However, either if you’re not sharing, the BCLA says that contact lenses are a medical device, and if you are going to use them, they need to be purchased from a registered practitioner, not just over the counter.
The designs which can be bought in markets and fancy dress shops are a ‘one size fits all’ approach, something which is not so true of the human eye. Some opticians do offer coloured lenses which are prescribed, which may just be your solution for a Halloween that does end in horror!
