People who use spooky Halloween contact lenses risk “permanent vision damage”, Optometry Ireland has warned. 

Contact lenses that give the wearer red pupils or bloodshot eyes can be easily bought on the internet. 

Sales surge ahead of Halloween but experts are concerned that people are unaware of the risks involved. 

“They’re not the same device that you wear when you wear a contact lens that corrects your vision,” eye surgeon Arthur Cummings told The Hard Shoulder. 

“That’s a medical device that’s been approved by authorities. 

“These things are of a lower quality; the pigments, the materials and the colours that they use make them more likely to become infected and so they can transfer an infection into your cornea.” 

Halloween decorations at home. Picture by: Alamy.com

Dr Cummings said many of the people who buy the spooky lens have never been taught how to fit contact lenses. 

As a result, they are not “adept” at fitting something into their eye and can end up hurting themselves. 

“You can hurt the surface of the cornea, you can have an allergic reactions, you might reduce the oxygen supply to the cornea,” he said. 

“And you can get permanent vision damage - this is why Optometry Ireland put out a statement saying these are basically illegal. 

“They should not be sold.”

For those who do go ahead and use them anyway, Dr Cummings said there are certain symptoms they should be aware of. 

“The first thing is that your vision may deteriorate, you may find that your eyes are tearing,” he said. 

“There might be a pussy discharge and then your eyes are red.” 

Alternative

Anyone looking for a spooky alternative could try glitter, which Dr Cummings described as a “lot of fun” but should not be put on the eyeball itself. 

“Check the ingredients,” he said. 

“Make sure it’s safe enough for use around your eye and do a practice test on your skin, make sure it’s okay. 

“Generally, when we speak to people about makeup, we say try and avoid the lash line - so, don’t get it on the back part of your eyelid margin.”

Main image: An eye patient visiting doctor at hospital. Picture by: Alamy.com