Halloween decorative contact
lenses can be a great deal of fun as part of your costume, however they can
also pose some risks to your eyes and eye health. Lots of Halloween celebrants attempt to change their eye color or
even give themselves that extra scary look with over-the-counter, decorative
contact lenses. While this can be a good source of Halloween fun, it can also
lead to serious vision-threatening problems.
According
to the Food and Drug Administration, all contact lenses are regulated medical devices that
require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional. Even
someone with perfect vision would still require an eye exam and a prescription
in order to wear any kind of contacts, including cosmetic lenses. Some websites
advertise decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or toys with
fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young adults,
especially girls. The problem is not that people use decorative, non
prescription lenses-sometimes called Plano-or zero-powered lenses, but that
they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the
Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops.
The
buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a huge risk including scratched
corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding
infection as a result of a corneal ulcer
In 2005, a federal law was passed that classified all contact lenses as medical devices and restricted their distribution to licensed eye-care professionals. Illegal sale of contacts can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
In 2005, a federal law was passed that classified all contact lenses as medical devices and restricted their distribution to licensed eye-care professionals. Illegal sale of contacts can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
The
safe and effective use of contact lenses-whether decorative or not-requires
proper fitting and education about their care to prevent the potential for
serious eye problems from becoming a
reality. If you or a friend would like to learn more about contact lenses of
any type including decorative contacts please call The Eye Care & Surgery
Center at 908-789-8999, visit The
Eye Care & Surgery Center
or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.
The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading New Jersey eye care practice with offices at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830
.
