BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Don't cover your eyes this Halloween. With crazy contacts, that is.
You might make it a holiday you'll want to forget.
Federal officials are warning the public about the dangers of counterfeit decorative contact lenses, which they say become increasingly popular this time of year. Consumers, they say, shouldn't buy contact lenses from Halloween or novelty shops, salons, beauty supply stores or on line if the site doesn't require a prescription.
"You'd never buy a heart valve at a gas station and you should never buy a medical device like contact lenses at one eithers,'' Dr. Jeffrey Hackleman, president of the Georgia Optometric Association said in a press release issued today by U.S. Immigration and Custom's Enforcement.
A national optometric study shows 11 percent of consumers have worn decorative lenses and, of those, 53 percent bought them without a prescription. In some states, contact lenses are available at gas stations, flea markets, beauty supply shops and pawn shops.
It is illegal to buy or sell contact lenses of any kind without a prescription form an ophthalmologist, optometrist or specially-licensed optician under the supervision of an eye doctor.
"All contacts lenses, even non-corrective, cosmetic lenses, are considered medical devices by the FDA and therefore require a prescription from an eye care professional,'' said Carol Rosenstiel, associate professor in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and director of the contact lens service for the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital Clinic. "It is important for eye health and safety that an eye doctor properly fit the contact lenses and provide instruction on the correct wear and care of them. Without a proper prescription there is higher risk of developing a vision threatening complication such as a corneal abrasion, ulceration or infection."
The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations, along with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have launched "Operation Double Vision." This year alone, the initiative has led to the 74 seizures of more than 20,000 pairs of counterfeit and decorative contact lenses.
"Unregulated and poorly-constructed lenses sold without a prescription pose serious health risks to consumers,'' said Peter Edge, executive associate director Homeland Security Investigations. "Halloween is a fun and festive holiday, and nobody wants to see those celebrations end with a trip to the ER."