Tanya Turner

Color Contact Lenses - Are They Safe?



Posted: Monday, July 25, 2005

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Do you want to find out how you would look with blue, green or amethyst eyes? But you have heard that color contact lenses might cause problems? Here we will discuss how color contacts can affect the health of your eyes, and give you simple tips to follow so your color lenses never give you any troubles.

There are two main reasons why color contacts cause your eye problems, and both are easily avoidable. The first cause is buying color contacts of inferior quality without a doctor’s prescription and the second is not caring properly for your color lenses.

Sometimes you see color contacts for sale in beauty salons and even in flea markets! You should never buy your lenses in these places. Color contacts aren’t fashion jewelry: most paints are very toxic, so the lenses should be properly manufactured, to avoid direct contact between the paint and the sensitive surface of your eye. Most color lenses sold without a doctor’s prescription fail to meet these requirements. They might look good and cost less than brand-name color contacts, but they are really dangerous for your eyes.

Since the second common cause of eye infections from wearing color lenses is not caring for them properly, you should always follow your doctor’s instructions about caring for your lenses.

Color contact lenses safety rules

If you follow these simple rules, your lenses will be no threat to the health of your eyes.

  1. Obtain an eye doctor’s prescription before ordering your color contacts. Even if you don’t need vision correction, you need an eye doctor to select the lenses that would be best for you
  2. It is cheaper to order your color contacts online than buying them from your doctor, but make sure that you order from a reputable contact lens retailer
  3. Don’t wear your color contacts continuously for too long. Most color contacts block the flow of oxygen to your eyes. This is usually not a problem, though, if you wear your lenses only for 8-9 hours at a stretch, but any longer than that could cause problems.
  4. Never sleep wearing your lenses - this is the most dangerous thing you can do, in terms of eye health. If your eyes don’t receive enough oxygen for days on end, then you are sure to suffer inflammation of the corneas. Some color contacts, like Acuvue 2 Colors, are FDA approved to wear for up to 7 days straight. However, many eye doctors agree that it is better not to risk your eyes even with the best quality color contacts
  5. Don’t swim or shower wearing your color lenses. Firstly, it is very easy to lose a lens in the water. Secondly, whenever water gets into your eyes it creates favorable conditions for bacteria, putting you at risk of infection
  6. Make sure you clean your lenses properly, and always keep your contacts in soft contact lens solution. You shouldn’t rub your color contacts while cleaning them, because it may damage the color. So it is best to use a no-rub multipurpose solution.
  7. Never share your color contacts with other people. It might be very tempting to exchange color lenses with a friend but, unfortunately, it is a sure way to pick up an eye infection.
Color contact lenses are fun. As the saying goes, "The eyes are the mirror of the soul", and it is amazing how much different eye colors can transform your appearance. Caring for your color lenses isn’t hard work - people who wear color contacts every day report that it takes them less than a minute to clean the lenses and put them in - so you should always follow the safety rules. If you do, then color contact lenses will bring you only joy, with no troubles.

Tanya Turner is a contact lens and eye health expert and a founder of www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/, where you can find unbiased information about all types of contact lenses including color contacts reviews and pictures
This Article has been viewed 7,463 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)
» left by Anonymous 2 years 213 days ago.
very helpful, i loved it. (:
 
i have contact lenses myself, but unfortunately they are clear and i'm thinking about moving on to colored lenses. THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!(:
» left by Marlene
from California 2 years 2 days ago.
I've been wanting contacts for a long time, but my mom never let me because she was scared of the risks. I told her I will be researching the topic of eye health while wearing eye contacts and this will really help. Thank you for getting me 1 step closer to having the eyes I want!!! It is very helpful and much appresiated.
» left by Violet eyes 180 days 21 hours ago.
Hi I just ordered colored contacts and I didn't check whith a doctor about it I don't have eye problems and I don't know if I should check whith a doctor before putting them in or not I'm just confused maybe I shouldn't have ordered them
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