Beware of Contacts from Costume Shops

We found this article by the FDA about the dangers of purchasing contacts from someone other than your optometrist. 

​"You may want to look like your favorite movie star or singer or have the perfect look for Halloween, but choosing to change the look of your eyes with contact lenses could cause a lot of damage to your eyesight. Decorative contact lenses are sometimes called:
• fashion contact lenses,
• Halloween contact lenses,
• color contact lenses,
• cosmetic contact lenses,
• theatre contact lenses and others.

Decorative contact lenses just change the look of your eyes. They do not correct your vision. They can temporarily change your brown eyes to blue or make your eyes look like cat eyes or vampire eyes for Halloween. Just like regular contact lenses you should never buy contact lenses from a street vendor, a beauty supply store, flea market, novelty store or Halloween store and you should always have a prescription.

Know the Risks Wearing decorative contact lenses can be risky, just like the contact lenses that correct your vision. Wearing any kind of contact lenses, including decorative ones, can cause serious damage to your eyes if the lenses are not used correctly.
These risks include:
• Allergic reactions
• Corneal abrasion – a cut or scratch on the cornea (the top layer of your eyeball)
• Infection
• Decreased vision
• Blindness  "
 
​Read the full article HERE