Costume Contact Lenses

While Fashion Eye Center offers contact lens fittings and the most cutting edge contact lens materials, we do not currently offer costume contact lenses.

However, colored contact lenses are often in high demand for Halloween costumes. Only ever wear contact lenses if they are an updated prescription, prescribed to and worn only by you within the guidelines given by your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Below are excerpts from the FDA's consumer guide to colored contacts as well as an article from the American Academy of Optometry.

Before buying decorative lenses, here’s what you should know.

They are not cosmetics or over-the-counter merchandise. They are medical devices regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Places that advertise them as cosmetics or sell them over-the-counter, without a prescription, are breaking the law.
They are not “one size fits all.” An eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) must measure each eye to properly fit the lenses and evaluate how your eye responds to contact lens wear. A poor fit can cause serious eye damage, including:

scratches on the cornea (the clear dome of tissue over the iris—the part of the eye that gives you your eye color)
corneal infection (an ulcer or sore on the cornea)
conjunctivitis (pink eye)
decreased vision
blindness

Places that sell decorative lenses without a prescription may give you few or no instructions on how to clean and care for your lenses. Failure to use the proper solution to keep contact lenses clean and moist can lead to infections. Bacterial infections can be extremely rapid, result in corneal ulcers, and cause blindness—sometimes within as little as 24 hours if not diagnosed and treated promptly.

How to Safely Wear Decorative or “Colored” Contact Lenses

Get an eye exam from a licensed eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist), even if you feel your vision is perfect.
Get a valid prescription that includes the brand name, lens measurements, and an expiration date.
Buy the lenses from a seller that requires you to provide a prescription, whether you purchase them in person or shop online.
Follow all directions for cleaning, disinfecting, and wearing the lenses, and visit your eye doctor for follow-up eye exams. It‘s especially important to read and follow all instructions because you can injure your eyes if you do not use these medical device products according to the labeling. (See additional information about cleaning solutions with hydrogen peroxide on the FDA website.)
See your eye doctor right away if you have signs of possible eye infection:

redness
eye pain that doesn’t go away after a short time
decrease in vision

Where NOT to Buy Contact Lenses

FDA is aware that many places illegally sell decorative contact lenses to consumers without valid prescriptions for as little as $20.
You should never buy lenses from:

street vendors
salons or beauty supply stores
boutiques
flea markets
novelty stores
Halloween stores
record or video stores
convenience stores
beach shops
Internet sites that do not require a prescription

These are not authorized distributors of contact lenses, which are prescription devices by federal law. In addition, some of these contact lenses may be counterfeit devices or may not have been cleared or approved by the FDA. You can talk with your eye care provider if you have questions. And if you find a Web site you think is illegally selling contact lenses over the Web, you should report it to FDA.

How can Halloween contacts be dangerous?

Packaging that claims 'one size fits all' or 'no need to see an eye doctor' is wrong. Non-prescription costume contacts can cut, scratch and infect your eye if they don't fit exactly right. They should be customized and tailored to each individual.
Mis-sized lenses can cause corneal abrasions, corneal ulcers and potentially blinding painful bacterial infections like keratitis. Costume or theatrical contact lenses also might let less oxygen through to the eye, because the paints and pigments used to add color make the lenses thicker and less breathable.
Treating these injuries can require eye surgery, like a corneal transplant. And treatment doesn’t always work. People have been blinded by costume contact lenses.

How many eye injuries are caused by costume contact lenses?

There are no comprehensive studies of how many injuries costume contact lenses cause. However, we hear anecdotally from ophthalmologists that they see contact-related injuries each year despite FDA regulations. A 2018 study found over 85% of people wearing contacts had at least one behavior putting them at risk for a serious contact lens–related eye infection.