Four Risks of Colored Contacts
Colored contacts change your eye color or appearance. They can help you make a subtle or bold statement with your eyes. But buying colored contact lenses not prescribed by an eye doctor can lead to serious eye problems—even vision loss.
Contact lenses require a prescription from a licensed eye care practitioner. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies contact lenses as medical devices. Contact lenses are banned from being sold by non-licensed vendors. This includes gas stations, convenience stores, and beauty parlors. It is illegal to import and sell counterfeit contact lenses into the U.S. Federal law enforcement agencies work to stop this from happening. The simple fact is that unregulated contacts are bad news for your eyes.
Here are four ways that over-the-counter colorful contacts can hurt your eyes.
Poorly Fitting Contact Lenses Can Scratch Your Eye and Cause Painful Sores
When over-the-counter lenses are not fitted properly for your eyes, the lenses can scratch the outer layer of the eye. This causes a painful corneal abrasion. You may find your eyes are sore, red, and sensitive to light. You may also see discharge in your eye or feel like something is stuck in your eye.
A corneal abrasion can also lead to a corneal ulcer. Corneal ulcers may appear as white dots on the iris, the colored part of the eye. Corneal ulcers are usually treated with eyedrop medicine. When an ulcer heals, it can scar over and permanently affect your vision. In some cases, the cornea can be so damaged that you need a corneal transplant to restore vision.
Non-Prescription Contacts Can Lead to Severe Eye Infection
Bacteria, viruses, and amoebas are dangerous organisms when they affect your eyes. Non-prescription colored (also called costume) contacts can cause corneal abrasions and eye ulcers. This makes your eyes more vulnerable to serious eye infections called keratitis. A 2011 study found that people who wore colored contacts were 16 times more likely to get keratitis than people who wore regular contact lenses!
Some contact-related infections, such as herpes simplex, can keep coming back and can be difficult to treat. Also, many bacteria have become resistant to common antibiotic eye drops.
Tinted Contacts May Be Toxic to Your Eyes
A study found that the chemicals used to color over-the-counter tinted contact lenses include chlorine and other harmful substances. These chemicals, known to be toxic to human tissue, can seep into your eye, possibly leading to vision loss.
Complications From These Colored Contacts Can Lead to Other Eye Diseases
If you suffer severe, ongoing problems from non-prescribed contact lenses, you are at risk for developing other vision-limiting diseases, including cataract and secondary glaucoma. You may need eye surgery to restore your vision or to try to save your remaining sight.