Costume contact lenses are medical devices thus regulated by FDA. Despite the fact that you don’t require vision correction; you must only purchase novelty contacts after having your eyes tested thoroughly. Not necessarily costume lenses work against your eyes the same way they do for your friend. To rule out the chances of underlying ocular disorders and infections; it becomes important to get your eyes checked. With a handy prescription, you are allowed to purchase your costume lenses through online retailers too. Just be cautious of picking them off-the-shelf.

Why over-the-counter Costume Lenses should be avoided?

Unless you are confident about the vendor you must not purchase your costume contact lenses just from any shop. As the holiday closes; a lot of mushroom retailers, shady online businesses and pop up Halloween stores starts selling cheap costume lenses that may tempt the naïve buyers. You must be aware of the fact that regular contact lenses tend to obstruct flow of oxygen. The magnitude of the obstruction gets worse as you switch to costume contact lenses. Since novelty lenses are meant to mask your eyes completely; they are manufactured using a thicker material and opaque dyes. These dyes may lead to vision threatening infection if leaked into eyes.

Be very careful when purchasing custom made SFX contacts. These lenses don’t only cost you a fortune but poses greater risks. Since custom made costume contacts are hand-painted, there are risks of hygiene and quality being compromised. On the other hand machine made costume contact lenses are bioengineered in state of art laboratories where health parameters are gauged strictly by regulatory bodies.

You may not be able to wear costume contact lenses if..

Some people just cannot tolerate contact lenses due to sensitivity in eyes. People with dry eyes, allergies, inadequate or dirty tear film may feel uncomfortable with costume contact lenses beyond limits. At such times of inconvenience, prescription comes handy, finding out the reason of intolerance towards contacts. Remove costume contacts immediately if you notice itching, blurred vision, stinging, inflammation or a runny discharge. Do not rub your eyes since this will leave your eyes scratched and cornea bruised. Try alleviating pain with red out eye drops or contact your doctor if the problem persists.

Even though it is not allowed by FDA to sell costume contact lenses without a valid prescription; you can still purchase them without, online. Prescription should be obtained for your own convenience, comfort and peace of mind. Having your eyes checked regularly even you have 20/20 vision is considered an ingenious way to keep the infections and bacterial attacks at bay.