Monday, October 20, 2014

Avoiding Eye Problems with Halloween Contact Lenses

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.