Did you know October is Contact Lens Safety Month? Around 46 million Americans wear contact lenses, so knowing how to wear them safely is key. Plus, with Halloween right around the corner, many people will be wearing costumes that involve costume contacts, which can cause their own safety issues. So, how can you ensure eye safety if you wear contact lenses?

Contact Lens and Eye Safety

Many Americans who wear glasses also wear contact lenses, though the kind they wear can vary. There are two main kinds of contacts your eye doctor may recommend including:

• Hard Contacts: This type of contact lens may last longer and provide clearer vision for people with certain eye conditions; these lenses are also available in bifocals, which are beneficial for those who are getting older. However, hard contact lenses can sometimes take longer to get used to than soft ones and may slide around in the eye more often when one is engaged in sports or exercise.

• Soft Contacts: These lenses are probably the most commonly worn and come in extended wear (though these come with a higher risk of infection) and daily wear. In contrast to hard contacts, soft contacts are thin and flexible.

Both hard and soft contact lenses can come with risks, as you’re placing a foreign material in your eye. With contacts, you might experience watery eyes, redness, discomfort, pain, or even changes to your vision. However, by listening to and following your eye doctor’s instructions about how to properly wear contact lenses, you should be able to avoid most of these occurring.

Properly cleaning and caring for your contact lenses, as directed by your eye doctor, is perhaps the most vital way to protect your eyes while wearing contact lenses. Any type of contact will require regular cleaning and storing, and in the case of soft contacts, this can involve rinsing, disinfecting, cleaning of the lens case, and enzymatic cleaning. Also, it is key that you only use store-bought sterile solutions when cleaning your contact lenses! Making a sterile saline solution on your own to clean your lenses with can be incredibly dangerous and could cause significant harm to your eyes.

Halloween and Contact Lenses 

The first question you might have regarding a Halloween costume that requires cosmetic lenses is whether it’s safe to wear Halloween contact lenses. The good news is that you can safely wear Halloween contact lenses. However, the safety of these costume lenses depends on where you purchase them. Cosmetic contacts bought without a prescription from places like tattoo parlors or boutiques aren’t always sterile and can pose severe risks to the health of your eye. In fact, many people (particularly teenagers) have nearly lost or completely lost their sight due to using these lenses.

So, where is the safest place to buy costume contacts? Your eye doctor, of course! An eye doctor’s office is the only place you can get Halloween contact lenses that will be safe for you to wear. Even if you don’t usually visit an eye doctor, you can contact one in your area to ask about cosmetic contacts; we promise they’ll be able to help you out, and by doing this, you won’t end up starring in your own real-life horror story this Halloween!

Final Thoughts

Wearing contact lenses can be more convenient than wearing glasses for some. However, contact lenses come with a few minor safety risks you should know about. By following your eye doctor’s instructions and properly caring for and cleaning your contacts, though, you should be able to avoid these risks.

When it comes to Halloween contact lenses, purchasing them from an eye doctor’s office is the only safe way to go. Many people have suffered significant vision loss after wearing costume contacts they purchased without a prescription. So, stay safe this Halloween by taking the time to speak with an eye doctor about the best Halloween contacts for your costume.

_________

By Misty Layne