Optometrists Warn Against Over the Counter Contacts

With Halloween right around the corner, local optometrists are warning parents and kids to not purchase over the counter cosmetic contact lenses, but get them from licensed optometrists.

Cosmetic lenses—in their wild array of colors— are all the rage if you want to be a zombie or a vampire, but optometrists say they pose a serious risk of eye irritation, infection and other complications that can result in permanent sight loss.

“Whether it’s zero correction or minus two, lenses are a prescription item and you need a prescription to dispense them,” said Ron Harris, an optometrist at Sonoma Eyecare Optometric Associates on Keller Street. “And with good reason— to protect the consumer.”

The issue is not that cosmetic lenses are dangerous, but that improper fitting contacts and mishandling them can result in scratches to the eye, abrasions and even something called a corneal ulcer, a painful condition that occurs when the cornea is starved for oxygen.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, contact lenses are not cosmetics, but medical devices that are regulated by the FDA. And according to the agency, stores that sell them without a prescription are breaking the law.

“The bottom line is these are being sold illegally,” Harris said.

One of the local businesses where the contacts are sold is  Halloween Store on C Street and Second. Asked about the sales, owner Drew Washer said she has only sold five sets the entire season and will likely discontinue carrying them in the future.

“We only sell them to adults and only the highest quality lenses, while a lot of other stores sell them for $20,” Washer said. “Plus, there’s nothing stopping kids from buying them online or at all these other stores at the mall.”

She later said that she would return all contacts to the vendors in an effort to play it safe.

"The vendors told us the contacts themselves are FDA-approved, but it's this huge gray area," she said.

The dangers of over-the-counter contacts is one optometrists take up each Halloween, but so far, they seem to be facing an uphill battle. Cosmetic lenses are widely sold online, at novelty stores, boutiques and even beauty salons, with most owners not aware they are breaking the law, according to the FDA.

Harris said he was so concerned he even called the Department of Consumer Affairs at the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, but was told the department didn’t investigate issues without an initial complaint. A call to the District Attorney’s office was not immediately returned Thursday morning.

Do you purchase your contacts online? Are you concerned about potential health risks associated with poorly designed or fitted lenses?