Halloween Contact Lenses...talk about scary eyes!

Well it's been a long time since my last post...with Dr. Stokes-Johnson back from  maternity leave for what seemed like a year, I am renewing my committment to get back to blogging!  For those of you that know me, I am over the top passionate about eye care and preserving the gift of vision.  Today I am moved to all new heights of activism after seeing my 6th patient in a week with inflammatory conjunctivitis (pink eye) from buying illegal cosmetic contact lenses from our local "fly by night" Halloween stores that pop up about 6 weeks before Halloween and "poof" disappear immediately after Halloween.  It is ILLEGAL in the state of Minnesota for them to sell you contact lenses without a valid contact lens fitting by a professional eye care provider.  Contact lenses are not a one size fits all...they are a medical device that you put on your eye and if they are fit inappropriately, can cause eye infections and eye ulcers that can lead to blindness.  Yep...blindess.  There are no contact lens handling instructions or contact lens cleaning solutions given to their customers and they are happily taking your money.  Please think twice about how you accessorize your Halloween costumes this year--your sight is not worth winning a costume competition.  And there you have it from the view of a dedicated medical eye care provider who just thinks you should be in the know.