Fall River Halloween Contact Lens Safety

Fall River Corneal Specialist Keegan Johnson, M.D. shared some words of caution about contact lens safety, Halloween and your eyes. “Halloween, decorative contact lenses and your eyes may not be a great combination,” stated Dr. Johnson of Center for Sight. “Right around Halloween each year we see the result of patients who want to change their eye color from brown or blue to some far out appearance or ghoulish look by using 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,” explained Dr. Johnson.

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, noncorrosive 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.

“People who elect to buy these over-the-counter contact lenses face a considerable risk including scratched corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer,” cautioned Dr. Johnson.

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 Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406 Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 at 508-730-2020 for patients wishing to learn more about LASIK in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.