Health officials and physicians say the lenses can lead to a host of ills: infections, abrasions, and ulcers. Some varieties can even lead to corneal hypoxia — when the cornea is starved of oxygen, said Anna P. Murchison, director of the Wills Eye emergency department at Jefferson.
“We worry about this every year,” Murchison said.
And don’t get Murchison started on another risky way to change eye color: using a needle to “tattoo” the whites of the eye. Canadian model Catt Gallinger is among the latest to try that ill-advised stunt, and now she is warning others that she suffered pain and blurry vision as a result.
Murchison and her colleagues want all those would-be ghouls and goblins to know there is a safe way to alter eye color: tinted contact lenses sold with a prescription. That means an eye specialist has measured the curvature of the wearer’s eyes, ensuring that the contacts fit properly. In addition, such lenses are made of safe materials and are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Still, the nonprescription varieties are easy to find this time of year, both from online retailers and at costume stores — even though their sale is illegal in at least one respect.
It is against FDA regulations to sell contacts that have not undergone agency review. This applies both to contacts that correct poor vision and to those designed solely to change eye color.
And even if a given type of lens is FDA approved, a retailer is running afoul of Federal Trade Commission rules by selling them without a prescription, said Alysa S. Bernstein, an attorney with the agency’s division of advertising practices.
Some contact-lens merchants are capitalizing on the popularity of the HBO series Game of Thrones, selling vivid blue lenses that allow the wearer to look like the mysterious White Walkers.
Murchison said she had watched one episode. As a physician, her first reaction was to be alarmed by all the violence. Then she thought of the potential for eye injury from ill-fitting cosmetic contacts.
Her advice: Get your eyes measured with a proper exam, and buy a pair that are approved by the FDA.
“Your vision is worth the price of a prescription,” she said.
Or pick a different costume, instead.
Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656
pearlevision.com
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656
pearlevision.com
