I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from MomCentral to thank me for participating.
Halloween is the time of year where you can become just about anything you want, at least for the night anyway. When I was growing up there weren’t that many options as far as costumes go, so we had to use our imagination and get creative. Now days there are many different costumes, props, makeup and even cosmetic contact lenses that kids can get to transform into a whole new person. I’ll admit that the colored contacts that make your eyes turn blood red are pretty neat looking but without the proper fitting and oversight by your eye doctor these cool Halloween contact lenses can cause serious injury to your eyes.
Last Halloween I noticed ALOT of young kids and teens wearing these Halloween contact lenses. I always assumed that in order to get any contacts you had to go through your eye doctor first. Well many retail stores actually sell cosmetic contacts and can be purchased over the counter. This is where it becomes dangerous. Not having the right size of contacts or the knowledge to wear them can put your child or yourself at serious risk and could potentially damage the health of your eyes.
Halloween isn’t the only time of year that people try contact lenses without a prescription. According to the American Optometric Association’s 2013 American Eye-Q® consumer survey, 17 percent of Americans have worn decorative contact lenses that don’t provide vision correction as part of a costume or for other cosmetic purposes. Of those individuals, 24 percent purchased them without a prescription from a source other than an eye doctor. As a teenager you don’t really think about the dangers that can come from a simple thing such as a contact lens. That’s why it’s so important to teach our teens how to practice safe lens wear and care.
So how can you do this? It’s easy first you should always obtain your contact lenses via a prescription from a licensed eye care professional. After you get your contact lens you should also know how to properly wear them, clean them, store them and even when to replace them. My niece started wearing contacts a few years ago and my sister really struggled with whether she was mature enough to handle caring for them. After talking to her eye doctor and finding the right contacts it’s been a smooth road for them both. She has had a few bumps in the road but quickly learned the consequences of not caring for your contacts the right way. Follow these tips below to make sure that you are wearing and caring for your contact lenses safely and effectively.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of your individual contact lens replacement schedule. That’s why the ACUMINDER® Tool is such a great tool! This is a free service that sends an automatic reminder via email and/or cell phone text message on when to replace contact lenses, when to order new lenses and when to schedule an eye exam. Registration is free and open to all contact lens wearers. To learn more visit http://www.acuminder.
For more information and tips be sure to visit Healthy Vision & Contact Lenses which is a resource with additional tips and information from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.