Can Anyone Buy Coloured Contact Lenses?

Coloured contact lenses are a great way to spice up your style, if you can keep your eyes clean and can remember to take them out every night. Although they can really emphasize some of your features, not everyone can buy colored contacts. Most types of contacts require a prescription.

Although there is a type of colored contact lens that doesn’t require a prescription, known as plano, or ones that don’t significantly correct your vision, it is always best to consult an optometrist before radically changing your eyewear usage (read: if you haven’t ever worn lenses or glasses before).

It is also true that the law requires you to have a prescription, even if your lenses don’t have any vision correction and are purely cosmetic. The FDA has a warning that even plain contacts present a risk of eye injury and blindness if you fit or wear them improperly.

It will also help if you see the optometrist to find your new eye color. Only they can tell exactly how the lens should fit over your eye, and before you buy them in a novelty shop or online, it will help to try them out in the optometrist’s office.

Black out contact lenses
If you are looking for a way to make a dramatic statement, either in time for Halloween, another costume party, or simply looking to stand out in everyday life, blackout FX contact lenses may be the way to do it. These lenses completely cover the iris of your eye so that your pupil appears much larger, and can emphasize your eye without looking too different, but different enough that people will notice.

These types of lenses are most frequently used in horror movies for the effect they have on producing a vampire or a zombie, but can work great for your event as well. It is important when looking for these types of lenses to look for a reputable seller and to also check the seal on the contacts when you receive them to make sure it is not broken.

As with other color contacts, you may need to get a prescription, particularly if you are looking to get ones that correct your eye vision as opposed to being simply for cosmetic purposes. Due to the dual nature of these lenses, they don’t disable your sight in any way, and will simply make you look more serious or dreadful from afar, depending on what you are going for.

Can Children Use Contact Lenses?

Shonda wrote, “My child (probably both kids soon) needs glasses and has accidentally broken two pair of glasses. Can she switch to contact lenses instead of us continuing to buy new glasses?”

Thanks for the question Shonda! Regarding your child, before you do anything, make sure she isn’t breaking the glasses on purpose. Wearing glasses can be a traumatic experience for children. Other kids make fun of them and they just don’t like it.

If you still want to have your kids wear contact lenses, most optometrists allow it if the kid is older than 8 years old. Any younger and getting the contacts into the eye would be nearly impossible because of the size of the contact and the child.

As the child gets older (12 years old and older), you should have no trouble getting contact lenses. Below that and you might have to find a doctor that is willing to prescribe contact lenses. Children normally prefer wearing contact lenses when they realize the other option is to wear glasses.

Children wearing contacts really comes down to the individual child. You know your child better than anyone, is he or she ready to wear contact lenses?

Cheap Blue Contact Lenses

We’ve recently talked about blue costume contact lenses, navy blue contacts, and baby blue contact lenses. Today we’re looking at cheap blue contact lenses. These contacts are great for every day use and special parties such as Halloween. Cheap contact lenses are nothing new at Discount-Lenses.com, but cheap blue contact lenses are definitely a new lens for us! We’ve been selling cheap contacts since 1999 and as recently as 2007 we began selling a full line of colored contact lenses. These contact lenses have been selling better than we ever expected they would.

When blue contact lenses first came out in 1997 they were expensive! Now with so many companies selling blue contact lenses, the prices have come down and you can get cheap blue contact lenses from just about anyone who sells contact lenses (including us!).

Before you buy your cheap blue contacts, keep in mind that there are many companies selling illegal contacts. They may be branded with the Acuvue logo, but in fact they’re not real. You can call the manufacturer and ask them about a particular reseller or contact lens distributor and make sure they distributor is legit. Here is a list of contact lens brands and manufacturers. So when buying your cheap blue contact lenses, make sure and remain safe!

Colored Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

If you’re one of the many people that suffer daily from astigmatism, don’t worry, you can still wear colored contacts!  Many doctors are torn on the issue, but many more are beginning to come around and allow their patients to wear colored contacts even though they have Astigmatism.   I always recommend talking to your doctor before making a decision about wearing colored contact lenses if you have any eye disease.

Colored contact lenses for astigmatism come in all different colors.  If you’re looking for baby blue contact lenses, deep red contact lenses or even white and black dragon contact lenses, you can find them for astigamtism sufferers.  Don’t give up your search if you’re having a difficult time finding someone who sells contacts for those with Astig.

You’re not alone in wanting to wear colored contact lenses, in fact, many celebrities wear contacts every day!

Red Eye Contacts

Red eye contacts are not just eyes that are irritated. Red eye contact lenses are an actual contact lens that turns your cornea red. As you can see below in the picture of red eye contacts, the woman is wearing a red contact lens. These red contacts are great for Halloween costumes, stage performers and any else who wants to change their eye color from any color to blood red. This is especially effective for people who have deep, dull and dark colored eyes. They can give your eyes a complete and total makeover. The best part about deep red eye contacts is that you can remove them when you’re done. Unlike getting a haircut, dark red eye contacts are just a temporary makeover!

Picture of Red Eye Contacts:

Picture of Red Eye Contacts

The picture gives you a great idea as to what the Red Eye contact lenses look like when they’re actually in your eye. Outside of your eye they don’t look special, but when they’re on your eye, people everywhere will take notice of your new red contact lenses.

Sharing Contact Lenses Can Be Dangerous

While everyone knows that getting a deep cut and not cleaning and treating it can lead to infection, so can sharing contact lenses.  The difference is that you don’t need a deep cut to get an eye infection from a pair of cheap contact lenses.  Contacts often times, when shared, get tiny particles of dirt on them.  That dirt can’t be seen, but can scratch your eye.

Other contacts aren’t designed for your eye and can leave you with blurry vision and could cause you to fall down and get a cut and then get a normal infection.

The Capital Blog has a great article about Ohio stopping the selling of colored contact lenses.  Check it out.

Happy Halloween!

It’s finally here! Happy Halloween everyone. Be safe, stay with friends and I guess you can throw the old adage, “Don’t take candy from strangers” out the window tonight.

Remember when wearing that great costume (with contact lenses right?) to be safe, you might be dressed as Superman, but your powers are still lacking!

Here is a list of other blogs wishing you a Happy (and safe) Halloween tonight as well:

Happy Halloween from WatchingHouse.

Happy Halloween from Stayton (Oregon) Daily Photo.

From the Editor’s Desk: Happy Halloween! from Cinematical.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Autodesk.

Happy Halloween from AnimationArchive.

Lasik Eye Surgery

Is Lasik eye surgery right for you?  Have you given this much thought?  If you’re like the millions of other people who wear contact lenses, you probably have.  And if you’ve given it much thought, you realize that this is a surgery, an elective surgery.  Generally elective surgeries are associated with cosmetic surgeries, but this one is different.

If you could get Lasik eye surgery done tomorrow and never have to wear contacts again, would you?  Post a comment and let me know!

Cosmetic Contact Lenses

When wearing your cosmetic contact lenses, there are a millions things you’ll want to keep in mind.  Most of these issues should be discussed with your doctor.  Here is a great list of things you want to keep in mind this halloween when wearing your contact lenses.

BadDadRadio.com says, “Cosmetic contact lenses can be make your teens’ Halloween costume extra special. However, both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Optometric Association advise consulting an eye care professional first.”   This is great advice because contact lenses without a prescription are illegal in the United States for good reason, they’re dangerous and eye infections are no fun, especially cornea infections.

Google-Sina.com has an article talking about Ohio possibly banning the sale of cosmetic contact lenses.  This is bad news for optometrists who make their living with cosmetic contact lenses and also for Halloween costumes.  The article says, “Improper care and ill-fitting contact lenses may result in corneal ulcers and/or infections that can lead to blindness…”  Ouch!

While not a blog, the Federal Trade Commission warned 15 cosmetic lens marketers saying, “Under the FTC’s Contact Lens Rule, sellers of both corrective and non-corrective cosmetic contact lenses must have a copy of a valid contact lens prescription or verify it with the prescriber before dispensing contact lenses to consumers. Failure to do so can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.”  Wow, $11,000 for selling colored contact lenses without a prescription.  That is huge when contact lenses only profit about $40 per eye for each sale.

MyDisguises.com talks about your doctor playing a vital part in setting up your Halloween costume.  Especially since you’ll need to see him to get a halloween contact lens set.  MyDisguises.com says, “If you’re going to play a classic role this Halloween, you’re going to have to consult an eye doctor as to whether costume contacts are right for you.”

That’s it for the cosmetic contact lens warnings.  Now go and have a safe and fun Halloween!

Corneal Infection

Ideal Health and Fitness has an article detailing how and why your contact lens could cause a corneal infection, one of the worst kinds and most difficult to treat.

IHF says the following, “Complications can arise through over use and over wearing along with sloppy hygiene and awkward fit. If you are using contacts for vision correcting purposes then you will have been to your doctor for analysis before getting a prescription to buy them.”

Complications are difficult to treat.  Make sure that your contacts come from a reputable source and are prescribed by your doctor.