“I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for participating.”
What You Need to Know about Decorative Contact Lenses
You have only one set of eyes in your lifetime – that’s it. Having your eyes checked regularly is important. If corrective lenses are needed so be it. For those who don’t care for glasses – there’s always the option of contact lenses. That said, contact lenses require a bit more care and work vs. putting on a pair of glasses.
My teen is one of those who has to wear corrective lenses and has for many years. I knew enough to start getting her eyes tested by an optometrist at a young age, since her dad and I both have the need for corrective lenses. I actually needed glasses long before anyone ever caught on that the cause of my poor schoolwork and constant headaches were because I couldn’t see – starting in the second grade.
Come the 5th grade – my vision had deteriorated so fast that the corrective lenses prescribed were very thick. As I aged, I really wanted to try contact lenses but because my vision was so bad – I would have had to wear hard lenses. The hard lenses came with there possibly being a lot of complications for me – so I went without. Then, soft lenses became available and I just had to try them.
I fell in love! I hardly ever wear my glasses anymore because I can see so much better with the contact lenses. Plus – my self-esteem rose not having to wear those thick corrective lenses. So when my daughter hit her teen years – I asked her if she’d like to try contacts. She hemmed and hawed over the thought for a long time before telling me that she would like to give them a try. At that time I made sure that she knew that there was work involved, as she’d have to properly care for them. She agreed she would. Good enough – let’s give it a try – and that we did.
With that all said – she was taught by the tech on how she MUST care for her lenses.
There’s absolutely no turning back if you damage your eyes from being irresponsible where contact lenses are concerned. In which, this leads me to wanting to talk a bit about decorative contact lenses.
Decorative Contact Lenses
They seem to be the rage during Halloween but have become even more popular over the years with teens especially, wanting to change their eye color like they change the color of their hair. Okay – sure they are appealing. Sure they will give your eyes a different take for the world to see. But….
The Statistics:
Halloween isn’t the only time of year that people try contact lenses without a prescription. According to the American Optometric Association’s 2013 American Eye-Q®consumer survey, 17 percent of Americans have worn decorative contact lenses that don’t provide vision correction as part of a costume or for other cosmetic purposes. Of those individuals, 24 percent purchased them without a prescription from a source other than an eye doctor.
What You NEED to Know:
Purchasing Traditional or Decorative Contact Lenses:
A contact lens is a medical device and in the United States, all contacts lenses, even purely cosmetic ones, require a prescription from an eye care professional. However, come the fall, many children, teenagers, and even adults begin to think about “who” or “what” they want to be for Halloween. And, a number of them are
tempted to complete their look with decorative contact lenses bought without a prescription.
The Importance of Year-Round Eye Care Hygiene:
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., manufacturer of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses reminds us – especially teens – how important it is to practice safe contact lens wear and care – from obtaining contact lenses via a prescription from a licensed eye care professional, to practicing good hygiene habits when
inserting/removing contact lenses as well as the importance of following wearing and replacement schedules, proper lens care, and disinfecting routines as directed by your eye care professional.
The Protocol for Contact Lens Use (Traditional and Decorative Contact Lenses):
The Do’s and Don’ts of Eye Care Safety
Follow these tips to make sure that you are wearing and caring for your contact lenses safely and effectively.
It all starts at the sink!
DO:
- Wash and rinse your hands thoroughly with a mild soap and dry with a lint-free towel before handling your lenses
- Put in your contacts before you put on your makeup or any costume paint.
- Remove lenses immediately if you experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, and redness of the eye or other problems and promptly contact your eye care professional
- Always remove, clean and disinfect your lenses according to the schedule recommended by your eye doctor
DON’T:
- Wear another person’s lenses
- Wear lenses longer than the time frame recommended by your eye doctor
- Rinse your lenses in water from the tap or expose them to any water—such as swimming or showering—while wearing them
- Use anything aside from recommended solution by your eye doctor, such as saliva,to lubricate your lenses
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ACUVUE ON TRADITIONAL AND DECORATIVE CONTACT LENSES:
- To educate yourself more – visit Healthy Vision & Contact Lenses
- Keep track of your individual contact lens replacement schedule with the ACUMINDER® Tool, a free service that sends an automatic reminder via email and/or cell phone text message on when to replace contact lenses, when to order new lenses and when to schedule an eye exam. Registration is free and open to all contact lens wearers
Do you wear contact lenses? What about decorative contact lenses? How do they work for you?
That is great to know. I have never in my life been able to stick anything in my eye – decorative or medcical 🙂
I can’t put them in the way the tech wanted me to – I had to develop my own way. I hated anything that came near my eyes.
Caleb is getting contacts – I am sharing this post with him. Very informative post – thanks
You’re welcome. I hope he takes his eyes seriously 🙂
Great tips there! I won’t let my kids put anything in their eyes that they don’t need.
I’ve never worn the decorative contact lenses becasue I’ve always been afraid of using them. These are great tips! I’ll have to share them with my niece who is considering switching from glasses to contacts.
Your post just reminded me that I need to make an appointment with an eye doctor. Last time I was at the eye doctor I was told I did not need any glasses but not sure what he/she will say this time. If I were to need glasses I would like probably choose contacts. Thanks for the information, your daughter is lovely.
Funny how the eye goes through system break downs too. I often think about when I get old and can’t wear the contacts – I think I’ll be devastated! Thanks for the compliment on my daughter 🙂
The eye is not something to mess around with. Proper hygiene and care for contact lenses is critical for eye health. I worry about the decorative ones because people may not have the knowledge in how to use them safely.
I’m with you. I don’t feel they should sell them over the counter. There’s just too much risk involved.
I’m not a fan of decorative contact lenses. It just seems silly to me to stick something in my eye that I don’t need.
I’m with you on that one. No need for me to change my eye color – just the hair 🙂
Decorative lenses are really cool. They can really enhance a persons eye color and look totally natural.
Technology these days 🙂
I’ve never worn contact lenses — and can’t really imagine putting anything in my eyes! — but these sound like great tips to keep your eyes healthy and safe.
When I first went to get fitted for my lenses – the eye doctor said that he didn’t think I would be able to wear them because I couldn’t stand anything coming near my eyes. I was determined to try them though. So the tech was doing her thing – trying to teach me how to put them in – I couldn’t do it her way. I had developed my own way and it works well for me. Ironically – my daughter had the same issue so I showed her how I put them in – she quickly took to that technique. I am a firm believer on whatever works for one may not work for another.
These are all great tips and information. While I think decorative contacts are really cool looking, I don’t think I would ever want to wear them.
I’m good with the traditional lenses Jennifer. I don’t feel the need to change the color of my eyes – my hair absolutely! but not the color of my eyes.
This is really helpful information! My husband and I have never had to wear glasses or contact lenses, but I think our oldest daughter might need some. She has an eye dr appt scheduled for next month and if so, we’ll have a talk with the dr about contact lenses. I appreciate the tips!
I’ve always wanted to try those lenses. Oh, how I’d love to have green or blue eyes! But I’ve always been a little scared. Knowing these tips helps me be less nervous, and maybe I’ll try some!
Try them Wendy! You have nothing to lose (but money) if you don’t like them. That said, you’ll never know if don’t try them.
This was a very good article about contact lenses. I think the younger kids need to be aware of what they are doing to their eyes. It needs to be under the supervision of a dactor. Most teens probably won’t listen!
Many of my daughter’s friends – don’t listen. Their parents seem not to care either. I’ve seen them share the lenses with other friends. One only gets one set of eyes in their lifetime – I’m just can’t grasp how parents don’t think it’s important for them to educate their children on caring for them.
Great tips. I used to have green contacts that I wore year round and loved them. They made me feel great about my usually boring, brown eyes.
I actually didn’t realize you needed a script for decorative lens. I wouldn’t want to stick them in my eyes anyway.
I didn’t realize that either Robin. I’m not sure how manufacturer’s can market them where one needs a script.
I have heard of there being some issues with decorative lenses. I have always worn glasses. I tried contacts for a bit, but they just were not for me. I agree it is important to always have a prescription and learn proper care before wearing them.
Decorative lenses are much fun, especially during the Halloween.
I always thought children should not wear contact lenses so this is a whole new way of thinking for me.
I’d have loved to see what they looked like once she got them in – I’ve thought of buying them before just for a change of eye color.
Rebekah – her’s were just regular contact lenses she did for this post. She wants the decorative ones (partially what inspired this post) – in blue – but I need to make sure that she REALLY is going to wear them. She’s at a finicky age where it’s “I want that” we buy it, and then it sits there. Sometimes we have to remind her to put these in and show off her beautiful eyes.
This is very great information. When I was a teen I wanted to purchase decorative lenses and I don’t even need glasses/contacts. I found a place to purchase them without a prescription and everything. But I backed out at the last minute. Glad I did!
My son wears contacts and I always make sure he is following these practices. Thank you for the great info.
My husband wears regular contacts and has to be extremely hygienic. I think this post could help a lot of people who don’t realize how careful you need to be!
Absolutely Amy! We only have ONE set of eyes – it’s not worth risking never being able to see again.
It’s scary to me how m any people mess with their eyes like that!
I’ve only tried contacts once in my life, and they were green. My eyes are brown, so they were fun for awhile but I’ve never used them again 😉
I tried them once and realized that contacts are not for me. I hated putting htem in.
I use to always want to have these when I was a kid, but never did. Now I am glad I don’t