This horror movie is extremely timely. British health experts have warned that one night disguised as a zombie is enough to trigger a nightmare that could haunt us for the rest of our lives.
Doctors warn against the recently fashionable colored contact lenses, thanks to which you can change the color of your eyes and look like a zombie or a vampire. It turns out that following this trend can result in serious injury or even loss of vision.
Optometrists have noted that many colored contact lenses can cause painful injuries and eye infections that can destroy eyesight for life.
According to British law, contact lenses can be obtained only under the supervision of licensed optometrists or doctors who will make sure that the lenses will not cause eye damage and advise on the care and use method to reduce the risk of infection.
Meanwhile, with the fashion for more and more extreme disguises, there is a growing interest in contact lenses that change eye color. Such lenses, considered funny gadgets, usually come from illegal sources – they are bought at street stalls, in stores with funny articles and online.
Doctors on duty in hospital emergency departments on Halloween are expecting an increased number of patients – especially children under the age of 16 – presenting with eye problems.
The British College of Optometrists urges you to buy lenses from registered optometrists or doctors who can provide information on how to use, care for them and how often to change them. The organization’s experts also warn against borrowing contact lenses from friends, a practice that dramatically increases the risk of infection.
“People think that fashionable colored contact lenses do not require the care and attention that regular contact lenses do, but they are not, even if you only wear them for one night,” said Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical advisor to the College of Optometrists.
– We recommend that you buy lenses from licensed opticians who will check that the lenses are properly selected and that the user knows how to use them safely.
– We remind you that you should not sleep in contact lenses or borrow them. Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before touching the lens.
– It’s worth taking care of your eyes and handling your lenses carefully, and above all, use them according to the instructions, so that the fun does not turn into a real Halloween horror.
Badrul Hussain, an ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, often deals with injuries caused by contact lenses. – Every year patients come to us, including children under 16 years of age, who contracted an infection because they wore cosmetic contact lenses – he says. – During Halloween, the problem worsens and there are some really serious cases, such as when patients borrow lenses from friends, wear the same lenses every year, even though their expiration date has long passed, or store them in tap water, which is damaging to them.
– Most of our patients do not know how to care for their eyes and contact lenses because no one has explained it to them. Ignorance of the basics of safe contact lens use increases the risk of painful infections and eye injuries, and even total loss of vision, he warns.
For those who are considering supplementing their Halloween styling with cosmetic contact lenses, Badrul Hussain reminds that the cornea of the eye is extremely fragile and easy to damage.
“A scratch puts the eye in contact with organisms that can cause nasty infections and, in extreme cases, even cause permanent damage or complete blindness,” he says.
Vicky McDermott, chairman of the General Optical Council, adds: “When contact lenses are used safely, the risk of infection and injury is very low. However, if you buy lenses from illegal sources, untested by professionals and with no information on how to use them, the risk of serious injury increases significantly.
– Even lenses that we wear for one evening at a party must be purchased from licensed specialists.