The Dangers of Costume Contacts

Raheleh Najafi

The safety measures originally established to fight against the pandemic have finally started decreasing in severity. As a result, many people are planning elaborate celebrations for upcoming festivities to make up for the time they spent practicing social distancing and isolating in self-quarantine. However, while it might seem enticing to enhance your Halloween costumes or accessorize your dinner party makeup looks with decorative contacts, it’s important to be aware of the risks and liabilities that come with such eye enhancements.

Commonly mislabeled as a cosmetic accessory, colored contacts, also known as decorative or costume contacts, are actually classified as medical devices. These materials fundamentally function like regular prescribed eye contacts but feature an additional ingredient of pigment which acts to change either the colour or the pupil shape of the eye.

Coloured contacts can be categorized into the following variations:

• Enhancement tint: This product works mainly on lighter coloured eyes as they don’t fully transform the color of one’s eyes but rather intensify their natural tone

• Opaque tint: The aim of these contacts are to completely change one’s eye colour no matter its original shade

• Sport tint: These less well-known contacts are commonly used by athletes who want more contrast in their field of vision while playing their sport.

Despite the title of this article, coloured contacts can be completely and wholly safe to use. However, this is only provided that the consumer first visits their optometrist for a prescription. No matter if one seeks to buy vision altering or non-correcting contacts, a prescription is required to ensure that the lenses that are being bought were made specifically for the consumer’s eye measurement. In fact, it’s illegal for retailers to sell coloured contacts without the use of a prescription.

The first major cause for concern when using decorative contacts occurs when retailers pass off their products as “one size fits all”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Decorative contacts already incite a higher risk for eye infection since their thicker size and use of pigments restrict oxygen accessibility and lead to dry eyes that are prone to complications.

Additionally, when non-prescription costume contacts aren’t custom-fit to the customer, the missized contacts don’t account for the curve of one’s cornea or the size of one’s iris and pupil. This can lead to corneal abrasions if the contact scrapes the outer layer of the eye. Furthermore, the dye and pattern of the decorative contact might also be textured when cheaply made which increases the possibility of corneal scratching. If bacteria gets trapped underneath these contact lenses, the lack of breathability practically ensures an infection occurs which often results in sores like corneal ulcers or other bacterial infections like keratitis which at their worst state can cause blindness.

Another potential issue with costume contacts is that many people tend to think of them as fashionable embellishments and, because of that, neglect to follow the basic hygiene guidelines that they would use for normal prescription lenses. When inserting, removing, replacing and storing contacts, it's always essential one has clean hands, fresh contact solution and a contact lens that is replaced every 3 months.

Another critical rule of contact hygiene is to not sleep with contacts still on the eye. This is especially true for decorative contacts that contain chemicals used to tint the colour of the lens which can harm or irritate one’s eyes even more intensely than normal contacts could.

Now, does this mean one should run for the hills when faced with the opportunity to wear coloured contacts? No, of course not.

Use the following protocols as a guide to safely use colored lenses and you can wear your favourite costume enhancer without risking any of the potential side-effects:

1. Before making any purchases, visit your local eye doctor and ask for a prescription while letting them know you want to buy colored contacts. Even if you want non-corrective contacts, this step is critical to get all the specific measurements you’ll need to buy contacts that fit your eyes.

2. Look for FDA-approved contact lenses that are being sold from a reputable manufacturer instead of going to nearby retailers like costume stores, beauty salons or online shops. If you’re not sure what retailers to trust, ask your eye doctor and they’ll likely be able to point you to respected sources.

3. Respect the contact hygiene rules like you would if these were corrective lenses. Follow your doctor's directions for disinfection, storage, and application of colored lenses and be sure to use any specialized contact solution that’s recommended by the manufacturers.

4. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for life expectancy of the contacts. Usually colored contacts last only three to four weeks and absolutely shouldn’t be saved for next year. For extra security, daily colored contacts can be bought and then immediately disposed of after the night of the celebration.

5. At any point during wear, if you experience discomfort, irritation, redness or other symptoms that aren’t commonly felt, contact your eye care professional and discontinue all use of the contact.

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References

Bazan, Justin. (3 May 2021). Are Colored Contacts Safe. Park Slope Eye. Retrieved from,

https://parkslopeeye.com/are-colored-contacts-safe/.

Gudgel, Dan T. (25 Sept. 2020). Are Costume Contact Lenses Safe? American Academy of

Ophthalmology. Retrieved from, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/glasses-

contacts/colored-lenses.

Hazanchuk, Vered, et al. (15 Sept. 2021). Halloween Hazard: Never Buy Decorative Contact

Lenses without a Prescription. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Retrieved from,

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/scary-lenses.

Yu, Christine. (9 July 2020). Colored Contacts: Are They Safe? WebMD. Retrieved from,

https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-colored-contacts-safety.