Scary Eyes Just Got Scarier

Oct. 27, 2006 — -- We decorate our faces, our bodies, even our dogs. So why not decorate one of our most neglected body parts: our eyes?

There may be a good reason to leave that body part alone, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

This Halloween season, contact lenses that add design to your eyes are being marketed and distributed to consumers without a prescription, despite an FDA warning that the decorative lenses could do irreversible damage to your eyes.

The FDA has warned consumers about the serious risks of using the decorative contact lenses without going through an eye care professional who has properly fit the lenses and given instructions on how to wear them. These decorative contact lenses, sometimes called Plano or noncorrective lenses, don't correct vision. Rather, their sole purpose is aesthetic.

The FDA said that these decorative lenses can pose serious risks, including permanent eye injury that may lead to blindness.

Some of the risks are the same as those posed by corrective contact lenses, including conjunctivitis (pink eye), corneal ulcers, corneal abrasion and vision impairment or blindness, the FDA said.

Since decorative contact lenses do not require a prescription, some people tend to share their lenses, which the FDA warned could lead to infections, abrasions, allergic reactions or even blindness.

The FDA said it has seen reports of this directly linked to the use of decorative contact lenses, especially when they're worn overnight. The eye damage associated with the decorative lenses, such as corneal ulcers, can occur rapidly if left untreated, according to the FDA warning.

Any uncontrolled infection could lead to corneal scarring and vision impairment. In the most severe cases, the FDA said, this condition could result in blindness and eye loss.

Consumers are getting their hands on these decorative contact lenses, without a prescription, at beauty salons, flea markets, convenience stores and the Internet, according to reports the FDA has received.