Visions of Halloween

LSU Health Ophthalmology Chair cautions non-prescription contacts could cause irreparable eye damage

Halloween can be a fun holiday, but, most people don't realize that some costume choices can result in a trip to the ER and possible vision loss.

Dr. Jayne Weiss, Chair of Ophthalmology and Director of the LSU Eye Center at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has some advice to keep your precious sight safe.

Costume contact lenses change the appearance of the eyes, and some people use them to transform into vampires, animals or other characters.

“Although non-prescription contact lenses are marketed on websites, they have real dangers associated that are not advertised to the consumer,” says Dr. Weiss.

“While the lenses may be called cosmetic contact lenses, nothing is further from the truth because they are not cosmetics. They are medical devices that need to be properly fit to the individual's eye. If they are not, the eye can be damaged.”

Weiss explains some of their dangers. “Non-prescription costume contacts can causes scratches on the outside layer of the eye called the cornea. They can lead to ulceration, infection and loss of vision. One study showed, that the costume contact lenses caused 16 times the amount of keratitis, a potentially blinding eye infection, than regular corrective contact lenses. Even worse was that 60% of the non-prescription contact lenses wearers who developed keratitis from the lenses, had a result of permanent loss of vision.”

She asks that you consider eye safety with your costume choices to enjoy a happy Halloween.

“If you want to be a cat, choosing a handsome tail, claws and ears has a lot less risk than reaching for the website cat eye contact lenses!”