The number-one thing to AVOID this year when planning your costume is decorative contact lenses! Those over-the-counter costume lenses are NOT safe and it’s not worth the potential lifelong damage to your eyes. Be safe when using any contact lenses!

Excerpt from What not to wear: 4 costume items to avoid this Halloween (from CTV News, click for full article):

Halloween is a fun and festive time for adults and children alike, but it’s best to get into the spirit safely. Here are four costume accessories to avoid if you don’t want Halloween to come back and haunt you:

Decorative contact lenses

For some Halloween enthusiasts, no demon or alien costume is complete without lenses that change the colour of their eyes.

Despite the popularity of decorative contact lenses, they are considered medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and, as of last July, Health Canada.

The FDA says decorative contact lenses should never be an over-the-counter purchase.

Decorative or not, a poorly fitted contact lens can cause serious eye damage, including scratches on the cornea, corneal infection, pink eye (conjunctivitis) and decreased vision or blindness.

If decorative contact lenses are a must this Halloween, the FDA recommends visiting your eye doctor to obtain a valid prescription that includes a brand name lens with proper measurements and an expiration date. You should also follow all directions for cleaning and disinfecting the lenses before use. Another visit to the eye doctor is even recommended for follow-up eye exams.