If you’re thinking about wearing novelty contact lenses to add an eye-popping touch to your zombie or vampire outfit – think again. You may be putting your eyes at risk by using lenses bought from a non-reputable source or if you use them without the professional guidance of an optometrist, doctor or contact lens optician.

The College of Optometrists has issued some advice to consider before using unprescribed contact lenses as part of your Halloween costume:

• Unlike standard contact lenses, fancy dress lenses are not tailored to your eyes, which can increase the risk of eye health issues. Lenses that are not properly fitted may scratch the eye or cause an infection, so it’s important that any contact lenses you wear are fitted by a qualified professional who can give you the appropriate advice on how to use them correctly.
• If you are wearing contact lenses of any sort, including novelty lenses, you must make sure that you can clean them thoroughly after use and disinfect them with the recommended contact lens solution. Never use tap water, the wrong solution, or lick them – and if they drop on the floor don’t simply pop them back in.
• You should not share contact lenses with friends, as even quickly trying them on can lead to eye infections.
• Although non-prescription lenses are widely available online and on the high street from hairdressers, tattoo parlours and nail bars, it is illegal to sell these lenses without the direct supervision of an eye-care expert.
• Driving with novelty lenses at night (even if you wear glasses over the top) is also a potential danger: if the lenses are strongly tinted or opaque they may impair your vision if the hole that you look through does not align with your pupil.
• If you experience any eye discomfort when, or after, wearing any type of contact lenses you should seek advice from an optometrist, contact lens optician or doctor.

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, Clinical Adviser for the College of Optometrists, said: “Most people think that you don’t need the same level of care when using novelty contact lenses as you do with ordinary contact lenses, because they don’t have a prescription. But, even when purchased from a reputable outlet (the issue isn’t with the lenses themselves, but with how people use them). Fancy dress lenses are often purchased by people who do not wear contacts regularly and who may not know how to handle and care for them safely. It is absolutely vital for the health of your eye that you are able to remove and insert your contact lenses safely, know how to keep them sterile, and have been instructed on how to do so by an optometrist.”

Further information and advice to help look after your eyes can be found on the College’s Look After Your Eyes website.

Article from College of Optometrists