Doctor & Associates cautioned
about the use of decorative contact lenses for Halloween in order to avoid
potentially serious eye problems. The Food and Drug Administration, regulates all
contact lenses as 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 attractive packaging in order to draw teens and young adults,
especially girls. The problem is not
that people use decorative, noncorrective lenses-but that they buy the contacts
without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the Internet or at flea
markets and specialty shops.
Changing your eye color or
turning your eyes into a devilish or ghoulish look can be fun but can also lead to serious vision threatening problems.
Buying over-the-counter contact lenses exposes you to huge risk including
scratched corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding infection as a
result of a corneal ulcer.
Federal law classifies all contact lenses as medical
devices and restricts 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 Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in
Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an
appointment.
Doctor & Associates is a
leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice with offices at 129 Kings Highway North,
Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and
148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
