On Wednesday morning Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, released a warning regarding the use of costume contacts this Halloween season, addressing them both as potential health and legal issues.

They must be both approved by the FDA and prescribed by your doctor, so the concept of a “one-size-fits-all” lens is completely illegal. In September, several convenience store owners across San Antonio were find $50,000 in civil penalties and attorney fees for selling contact lenses without a prescription.

“All contacts if it’s going on your eye it’s a medical device and they’ve always been treated that way,” said Dr. Darrin Peterson, with the Lubbock Eye Clinic.  “The reason costume contacts came out is because of movies and other things and guess what they have doctors on stand to prescribe them as they need. They all come from a maker and they have to follow certain standards.”

Continuously wearing lenses not specifically designed for your eyes can result in infections, both minor and long-term. 
 
“You get blood vessels growing within your cornea which will cover your cornea and prevent you from seeing, that’s the danger of it,” said Dr. Peterson.  “The dangers come from long term exposure, the more you wear them the more likely you’ll have problems.”
 
If you’re truly needing something to put the finishing touch on your costume, a local holiday store wants to remind folks, there are other options.
 
“Just know that we have all different kinds of makeup, you don’t have to have contact lenses to change the color of your eye or the design of your eye,” said Kim Hodges, Owner Party Plus Warehouse. “You can do it with makeup, we’ve got lashes, we’ve got sparkles feather lashes, we have just about anything you could imagine to dress your face up.”