Here’s How to Find out if Your Halloween Contact Lenses are Illegal
Illegal Halloween Contact Lenses?
Spooky contact lenses can complete your Halloween costume. But beware of the dangers of illegal costume contact lenses lurking on store shelves and invading online retailers. Here’s an easy way to tell if your lenses are counterfeit: Can you purchase them without a prescription? If the answer is yes, those creepy lenses are a danger to your vision. That’s why Dr. Duong and Dr. Lang are urging people to buy decorative contact lenses only from retailers who require a prescription and sell FDA-approved products.
It’s easy to forget that decorative lenses are medical devices, not costume jewelry. They must be prescribed and fitted by an eye care professional, just like regular contact lenses. That’s because a poorly fitted contact lens can easily scrape the cornea, the outer layer of the eye, making the eye more vulnerable to infection-causing bacteria and viruses. Research shows that people who purchase contacts without a prescription face a 16-fold increased risk of developing an infection.
Tips:
- See an optometrist to get a prescription for costume contact lenses
Get properly fitted by an optometrist. - Buy only FDA-approved products
Buy contacts only from eye care professionals. - Never share contacts
Sharing contacts can spread germs and bacteria. - Practice good hygiene
It is important to follow directions for cleaning. - Limit wear of colored contact lenses to four or five hours
The dye and less expensive materials used in costume lenses can restrict oxygen flow to the cornea.
Spread the word to others about the dangers of costume contacts
Don’t let friends make the mistake of wearing costume contacts without a prescription. it can cost them their vision.
