If you want to spice up an outfit, brighten your eyes, or surprise someone with fun contacts, cosmetic contacts are a great idea. They are a type of contact lens that doesn’t correct your vision, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to get a prescription. In fact, all contact lens providers should require a prescription in order to fulfill your order.
Here are some of the most important things to know about cosmetic contact lenses.
They change the way your eye looks.
Rather than correcting vision, the primary difference between cosmetic contacts and other types is that cosmetic lenses will change the look of your eye, not the way you see. This could be a cat-eye lens for a superhero costume, circle lenses to make your eyes look bigger, or lenses that give you a different eye color. They are primarily used for fashion, though they can also be used to make videos and movies or on the stage.
It’s dangerous to buy lenses without a prescription.
If you buy contact lenses without a prescription, you’re taking a big risk. The prescription isn’t just the strength of vision correction – it tells the provider what size and shape your eyes are so the lenses will fit you correctly. Some of the risks of buying lenses without a prescription include pink eye (conjunctivitis), scratching or soreness of the cornea, and even blindness. It isn’t worth taking the risk of buying cosmetic lenses from someone who doesn’t require a prescription.
It’s easy to get a cosmetic lens prescription.
Some people worry about getting a prescription for their contact lenses because they don’t already see a doctor to get a prescription. You can find any eye care provider to get a prescription for cosmetic contact lenses, however. An eye care provider must give you a copy of the prescription so you can get them filled wherever you like, even if they don’t offer cosmetic contacts themselves. Your eye exam will give you the eyeglass prescription and your contact exam (which can take multiple sessions) will give you your contact prescription.
Keep and send in your prescriptions.
Whenever you get a contact lens prescription, keep it somewhere safe with your medical records. You should get a contact lens prescription every year to two years, to be sure that your eyes have not changed. If you suspect you have a vision problem or poor eyesight, immediately get another eye exam to make sure you don’t need to get contacts that also correct your vision. When you order cosmetic contacts, the seller should ask for your prescription information. They may ask for: your name and your doctor’s name, along with the lens type, manufacturer, base curve, power, and diameter.
Cosmetic contacts are a fashion statement, but that doesn’t mean you can simply buy them from anyone. It’s important to make sure you’re buying contacts from a source that is custom-shaping them to fit your eye. If you buy just any pair of cosmetic contacts, you’re in danger of future eye problems.