Novelty Contract Lenses

Cosmetic contact lenses

A woman wearing a cosmetic type of contact lenses; the enlarged section of the image shows the grain produced during the manufacturing process. Curving of the lines of printed dots suggests these lenses were manufactured by printing onto a flat sheet then shaping it.

A cosmetic contact lens is designed to change the appearance of the eye. These lenses may also correct the vision, but some blurring or obstruction of vision may occur as a result of the color or design. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administrationfrequently calls non-corrective cosmetic contact lenses decorative contact lenses. These types of lenses tend to cause mild irritation on insertion, but after accustoming to the lenses, the eyes are typically well tolerated. As with any contact lens, cosmetic lenses carry risks of mild and serious complications, including ocular redness, irritation, and infection. All individuals who decide to wear cosmetic lenses should check with an eye care provider prior to first use, and periodically over long term use in order to avoid potentially blinding complications.

Theatrical contact lenses are a type of cosmetic contact lens that are used primarily in the entertainment industry to make the eye appear confusing and arousing in appearance, most often in horror film and zombie movies, where lenses can make one's eyes appear demonic, cloudy and lifeless, or even to make the pupils of the wearer appear dilated to simulate the natural appearance of the pupils under the influence of various illicit drugs.

Scleral lenses cover the white part of the eye (i.e. sclera) and are used in many theatrical lenses. Due to their size, these lenses are difficult to insert and do not move very well within the eye. They may also hamper the vision as the lens has a small area for the user to see through. As a result they generally cannot be worn for more than 3 hours as they can cause temporary vision disturbances.

Similar lenses have more direct medical applications. For example, some lenses can give the iris an enlarged appearance, or mask defects such as absence of (aniridia) or damage to (dyscoria) the iris.

A new trend in Japan, South Korea and China is the circle contact lens. Circle lenses appear to be bigger because they are not only tinted in areas that cover the iris of the eye, but tinted prominently in the extra-wide outer ring of the lens. The result is the appearance of a bigger, wider iris.

Although many brands of contact lenses are lightly tinted to make them easier to handle, cosmetic lenses worn to change the color of the eye are far less common, accounting for only 3% of contact lens fits in 2004

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