This Halloween season, please make sure to take care of your eyes while out enjoying costumed fun! These rules of safety are important for anyone to know in order to protect your eye sight. Keep them in mind when planning your costume and you’ll be more likely to have a fun night with fewer scares.
1. Costume Contacts Can Be Harmful
Many costume contacts are created without regulation or FDA approval. These costume pieces are not safe to wear! Without a prescription, contacts can cause:
•Sores and scars
•Eye infections
•Corneal abrasions or scratches
•Allergic reactions
•Blindness
It is important to know that prescription contacts are created to be fitted to your individual eyes. Costume contacts are NOT fitted to your eyes.
Wearing non-prescription color contacts can lead to all of the above complications, along with corneal ulcers. Eye doctors now recommend that all non-prescription color/novelty contacts be avoided by all people in order to protect your sight.
Recent studies also found that over the counter color contacts have often tested positive for harmful chemicals including chlorine and iron. These are toxic to the delicate tissues of your eye when coming into direct contact, as they would with a contact lens. This study also revealed that contacts with prints and patterns on the lenses often had an uneven texture as a result, this could scratch the eyes potentially increasing risk of infections and may cause blindness.
It is important to note that if you do find non-prescription color contact lenses available at a costume shop or online and think they may be safe to buy—these contacts are not legal for sale in the United States. This means that the seller is not concerned with selling you a safe and tested product!
2. Practice Safety When Using Eyelash Extensions
Eyelash extensions should always be applied by an experienced aesthetician to make sure that proper hygiene practices are followed.
•If using false eyelashes, test for lash-glue allergies each time you use.
3. Many Halloween staples can cause eye infections
•Avoid using costume makeup.
•Avoid sharing makeup, as bacteria and other contaminants can be passed from person to person when sharing.
•Avoid metallic, glitter, or flaky makeup. All of these can get into eyes and be difficult to remove, causing irritation and possible injury.
4. Follow the 3 Month Rule
All makeup should be thrown away after 3 months of use, due to the risk of bacteria breeding in the product and transferring to you when used
5. Make sure to remove all makeup before bed
Eye irritation, or worse, can occur when wearing makeup through the night. The makeup can smear and enter the delicate inner eye area, exposing your eyes to bacteria, possible allergens, and more.
