“Decorative contact lenses for Halloween and your eyes may not be a great combination,” explained Birmingham Ophthalmologist & Corneal Specialist Marc Michelson, M.D. of Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. “Each year we see a number of Halloween revelers who wanted to turn their eyes from blue to some far out appearance or ghoulish look by using over-the-counter, decorative contact lenses-but they purchased contacts without an eye examination and prescription and didn’t consider that improper contacts can lead to serious vision-threatening problems,” remarked Dr. Michelson. 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
The buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a huge risk including scratched corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer. 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 schedule an appointment for an eye exam by calling Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision so that we can help you with getting the necessary fitting and prescription for your contact lenses..
Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
