With Halloween just around the corner, many of you may be thinking of ways to take your costume to the next level. Hair dye, nail polish, glitter, face paint, and costume contact lenses. Before you race to a website that sells contact lenses, there are a few things you should know. 1. The lens material is outdated and not breathable.
Contact lenses are given a breathability score based on how much oxygen is able to reach your eye while wearing them. The cornea, the clear tissue where contact lenses rest, does not have blood vessels to supply oxygen to the tissue, therefore, it gets oxygen from the air. By placing a contact lens on your cornea, you are blocking some of the oxygen. Most contact lenses on the market that are prescribed by optometrists have a breathability score over 100, many even higher. The average breathability score of a costume contact lens is 8. EIGHT!! That means relatively no oxygen is getting to your cornea while you are wearing these lenses. You may be thinking, "but it is only for a few hours." Let me ask you, how long can you hold your breath? How long can you survive without oxygen?
2. Contact lenses sold without a prescription from a doctor in the United States are illegal.
These people do not care about your eye health and should not be trusted. If you find illegal contact lens sites, report them to StopIllegalCLs@aoa.org
3. Not all contact lenses fit the same.
Contact lenses are not the same size and shape. Just like shoe size, contact lenses need to be properly evaluated to ensure they fit your eye. Incorrectly fit contact lenses may be uncomfortable and cause permanent damage to your vision.
4. Risk of Complications
Costume contact lenses may lead to dryness, corneal edema, infections, or worse. It only takes once. Driving 100 mph on the highway. Some people do it all of the time, and some people crash the first time. Having unprotected sex: some couples are able to cross their fingers, and others get pregnant after one time. Swimming with sharks when you have a bloody nose... There are certain risks you may be comfortable taking in life, like that questionable chicken in the back of the fridge, but costume contact lenses are not a risk you should take.
When I first started practicing, I wanted to hold an October clinic where I would fit patients with fun costume contact lenses. I would rather patients be safe and fit properly. Unfortunately, I could not find a single lens brand that met my expectations in order to keep patients safe. I hope everyone has a fun Halloween, but please be safe, and avoid costume contact lenses.
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