These Halloween Contacts Could Cause Eye Infections
Contact with cat pupils or neon colors can be fun, but are you sure you want to stick a piece of plastic from a costume store in your eye? Experts, including those from the American Academy of Ophthalmology , warn against this.
Why costume encounters are often unsafe
Cheap Halloween pins tend to be one-size-fits-all, but the AAO notes that pins are never one-size-fits-all. Contact that is too much or too little for your eye can cause corneal abrasions, corneal ulcers, and lead to infections such as keratitis. In severe cases, infections can lead to blindness . A 2017 FDA report found bacterial contamination in 27% of people who came into contact with the suits.
If you wear contact lenses (for Halloween or otherwise), the AAO recommends monitoring for symptoms such as redness, swelling, pain, or excessive discharge. Seek help as soon as you suspect an infection. Your eyes are more susceptible to infections than other parts of your body, so be careful.
How to Find Safe Contacts for Suits
Contact lenses require a prescription by law, so if the colored contact lenses you’re eyeing can be purchased without showing a doctor’s prescription, they are illegal. However, the real thing can be expensive: I found prices ranging from $40 to $110 per pair on Lens.com , Discount Contacts , and Wicked Eyez .
All of these websites allow you to order online, but you will have to provide your prescription information before you can place your order. Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that providers must give you your contact prescription after fitting so you can take the prescription elsewhere. And they can’t charge you extra for it .
Once you purchase lenses, you should know how to care for them. If you wear contact lenses every day, you already know what to do. But if you’re just looking for a pair for a costume, here are the basics:
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Wash your hands before touching your lenses.
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Store them in contact lens solution and keep the lenses and their case clean.
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Don’t sleep or swim with them.
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And for Pete’s sake, don’t share them with your friends!
After all, the bloodshot look stops being cool once you take off the zombie costume.