Costume contact lenses are back on shelves this season, with Halloween quickly approaching.
“They have been extremely popular,” said Lynn Defoort of Spirit Halloween in Brandon. “There’s been a lot of people that that’s the first thing they ask for when they come.”
The coloured and sometimes creepy accessories for your peepers can make a dramatic impact on a Halloween costume, but optometrists say they can also be harmful to your health.
“The very worst-case scenario would be the loss of an eye,” said Dr. Don Williamson, an optometrist in Brandon. “If you got a serious infection and a corneal ulcer, some of those infections can take an eye in a couple days.”
Williamson said the colourful, non-corrective lenses are dangerous if not handled properly, worn too long or shared with another person.
The trouble is, Williamson said, Health Canada doesn’t regulate their sale because they’re not considered a medical device, and you don’t need a prescription to buy them.
Defoort said customers have to sign a waiver before purchasing the lenses, but Williamson said that’s not enough.
“They should have a prescription and be fit by a professional,” said Williamson.
Williamson isn’t alone in that thinking. A private-member’s bill is currently before the Senate. If the bill is passed, non-corrective contact lenses would be licensed as a Class II Medical Device.
Distributors would then need a special license to sell them.
In the mean time, Health Canada is advising people wearing the decorative lenses to contact an eye-care professional before using them.
If blurry or hazy vision or pain in the eye develops, Health Canada recommends seeing a professional or going to an emergency room.
