I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for participating.
I can remember back in middle school begging my mother to let me wear contacts, all my friends wore them, why couldn’t I? She eventually gave in, and I was soon at my annual eye exam getting a prescription for contacts. As a teenager, I didn’t take eye care too seriously, and lost track of time. I didn’t make sure the contacts were only used in the time period recommended, and would often stretch the time frame so that they would last longer, saving money. After experiencing eye irritation a few years ago that could have ended with an corneal ulcer and the thought of loosing my sight and no longer being able to see my children hit, and I now take eye care and contact use seriously.
When my niece recently told me that she wanted to start wearing contacts, I made sure to let her now how important it is that she takes care of her eyes and contacts, and how as a teenager I didn’t. With Halloween right around the corner, I am already seeing photos on Facebook with teens, and even a few adults wearing cosmetic contact lenses to complete their Halloween costume.
There are a number of stores that sell cosmetic contacts, and these over the counter contact lenses do not need a prescription. They may not properly fit and can cause serious or permanent damage to eyes. All contact lenses require a prescription from an eye care professional and without a prescription, you should not be purchasing or wearing contacts.
Halloween isn’t the only time of year that people try contact lenses without a prescription. According to the American Optometric Association’s 2013 American Eye-‐Q® consumer survey, 17 percent of Americans have worn decorative contact lenses that don’t provide vision correction as part of a costume or for other cosmetic purposes. Of those individuals, 24 percent purchased them without a prescription from a source other than an eye doctor.
With Halloween next week, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., manufacturer of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses wants to remind everyone, especially teens, how important it is to practice safe eye care habits and contact lens wear.
Important Eye Care Safety Tips
Do:
- Obtain contact lens prescription from licensed eye care professional.
- Wash and rinse your hands thoroughly with mild soap and dry with a lint-free towel before handling your contacts.
- Put in your contacts, and then put on your makeup or any costume paint
- If you experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, and redness of the eye or other problems, remove your contacts immediately and contact your eye care professional
- Always remove, clean and disinfect your lenses according to the schedule recommended by your eye doctor
Do Not:
- Wear another person’s lenses
Wear lenses longer than the time frame recommended by your eye doctor. If you wear Acuvue 2, only wear them for 2 weeks the most, no longer.
Rinse your lenses in water from the tap or expose them to any water, including swimming or showering.
Use anything aside from recommended solution by your eye doctor, including spitting on them, to lubricate your lenses.
For a helpful reminder on when to replace contacts lenses, when to order new lenses and when to schedule an eye exam, sign up for ACUMINDER® Tool, a free service that sends an automatic reminders via email and/or cell phone text messages.
Make sure to only wear for recommended time frame. ACUVUE® 2 = discard after 2 weeks.
For additional resources on eye care and contact lens wear tips, visit Healthy Vision & Contact Lenses.
