Why Halloween contact lenses frighten us at Allegro Optical Opticians
Cat’s eyes, Zombi eyes, Cyber eyes, no eyes there’s a Halloween contact lens out there for sale on the internet. The choice is endless and very cheap, with lenses cost from as little as £2.99. Or is it? What you should know before buying We have been doing a little research into these Halloween contact lenses. A simple internet search found lenses from as little as £2.99 for a pair of 90-day contact lenses. Advertised as all the contact lenses sold as having received Quality Assurance Standard, ISO 9001 & ISO 13485. This is very misleading, as both standards quoted refer to the management system and not a measure of the contact lens quality themselves.
So how can you be sure of the quality and safety of the lenses themselves? The simple answer is you will have to do a lot of research. You can research all the ISO numbers relating to contact lenses themselves. You need to know what size contact lenses you need, What diameter. What base curve, what material, what solution, what wear times……
Alternatively, you can visit a qualified optometrist or contact lens optician for a professional consultation. The will measure your cornea using a keratometer to find the base curve and diameter required. A badly fitting contact lens can lead to long-term problems which can become sight threatening.
So why risk buying contact lenses online?
So £2.99 seems pretty cheap, or is it? We have been considering the real cost of buying contact lenses online. Many opticians and optometrists across the country worry about the real costs of buying “fun” contact lenses online. From the first of November, we see often see clients with many serious eye problems resulting from wearing badly fitting or poor quality contact lenses, or with lenses stuck in their eye. These cheap contact lenses are unregulated, many sites advertise they meet the ISo standards. But often not the correct ones, the advertising is misleading and can be dangerous. Buying “fun” lenses online can carry a high level of risk and little in the way of consumer protection.
Wearing contact lenses which haven’t been professionally fitted can cause ulcers, infections, blindness and even the loss of the eye. Just one evening spent wearing these lenses can seriously affect the rest of your life causing serious damage to your vision and your eyes. And don’t just take our word for it, this photograph of a corneal ulcer is the result of wearing these unregulated lenses.
A contact lens which is too tight can squeeze the cornea and restrict blood flow, which can be sight threatening. A poorly fitting contact lens can move around causing abrasions and painful ulcers like the one in the picture.
Putting a contact lens into the eye with no training of how to do it or how to remove it carries risk. Many people can’t take it out once it is in, and we see people who have had the lens in for a couple of days. By that time infection has often set in and some serious damage has been done.
The risk of buying online
Risks to eye health include;- Painful scratches to your cornea
- Infection
- Reduced vision
- Blindness
- Loss of eye
