These Halloween contact lenses could leave you blind

We’re guessing by now you’ve seen coloured contact lenses in every Halloween shop you’ve stumbled upon.

And while they might be pretty to look at and would probably take your witch outfit to the next level, it turns out some of novelty ones could cause blindness.

In fact, the little contacts are frightening Australian optometrists, who believe the non-prescription ones can also lead to conjunctivitis, ocular infections and microbial contamination.

According to recent survey, published in the Journal of Forensic Science, 60 per cent of “suspected counterfeit” lenses and 27 per cent of “authentic non-corrective” lenses, which hadn’t been obtained with a prescription were actually contaminated.

However, only a mere three per cent of contacts prescribed by a doctor were found to be contaminated.

“These novelty items are often playfully packaged and targeted to teens who may have no experience using contact lenses,” Optometry Australia’s optometrist, Luke Arundel, said.

“Not only do optometrists ensure contact lenses fit the wearer properly, they also instruct on appropriate insertion and removal techniques and correct contact lens care to minimise the risk of irreversible eye damage.

“It’s scary to think how easily these dangerous lenses can be obtained online.”

And if you just have to have a pair of rainbow-coloured lenses to make your Halloween outfit stand out, then Luke says the best thing to do is go to see your optometrist who can provide you with safe ones.

“This Halloween we don’t want to hear of yet another report of a young person suffering vision impairment caused by novelty lenses,” he said.

• There's a reason why you find it hard to keep eye contact

• Surgeon discovers 27 contact lenses lodged in woman's eye

The warning comes after a girl ended up in the emergency room last year in the UK when she removed unprescribed colour contact lenses from her eyes after a party.

According to The Mirror, she said she was "screaming" and felt like someone had poured bleach in her eyes.

Doctors discovered that she had actually ripped off the top layer of her cornea when she removed the lenses.

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