# Halloween Contact Lenses and questions



## Stringy_Jack (Oct 28, 2011)

Brother Grim, I got some for the first time this year and love mine so far. Got mine from the Brothers Grimm on line shop and had no issues what-so-ever dealing with them. You do need a current contact prescription to order through them but other than that no problems. I got the "cheep" ones only $29.95 per contact 2X for a complete set plus shipping and handling, my whole order can to around $68. I tell you what I love mine and believe no other one item can set off a costume better than a creepy set of contacts. I wore mine for 8 hours Saturday night with no problems at all. The only issue I've found with them is when I blink they may shift a bit but quickly re aline themselves.


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## Bump In The Night (Jun 21, 2011)

I've ordered mine from http://www.youknowit.com/ every year for the past 3 years. I've never had an issue, you don't need a prescription and they are the least expensive place I've found. They are located in the UK, but they have free shipping and I believe they've always been less than $20 for the pair.


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## Halloween Scream (Sep 29, 2010)

I've used special contact lenses for the last three Halloweens and I love them! Many websites sites require a prescription to order them, even if you want ones without vision correction. The first year I went to an optometrist for the first time in my life and they found a "minor vision impairment" (basically, one step down from 20/20). Because of this, I was actually able to get my insurance to cover the cost! I wore $300 hand-painted lenses that I got for my $40 co-pay. The only downside of going this route is that they had a very limited selection to choose from. The last two years I went with the same site recommended by Bump In The Night. No prescription needed, very inexpensive, and no problems with shipping. My only advice is to 1. order your lenses well in advance just in case there are any problems, and 2. practice wearing them (especially if you don't normally wear contacts). It is slightly hard to see out of costume lenses at night - your pupils dilate larger than the colored area, and you can get a "halo" effect in your vision. I definitely wouldn't drive with mine in!


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

If you're considering wearing fx contacts, here's what I can tell you from my experience...

Two years ago, I bought a pair of the zombie white-out from Walgreens' "wild eyes" collection. I got them for our theatre's Halloween show, but since they were kind of pricey, I wore them to Dragoncon as well to help justify the price (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). 

My eye doctor said to look for ones that are FDA approved and suggested I stick to an American or Canadian company. (Out of country suppliers don't ask for a prescription, that's a dead giveaway that they're not overseen by the FDA). 

Comfort-wise, these are definitely not for every day wear. I wore them for about 10 hours straight, my eyes were a little irritated by the end of the day, but I was around a lot of smokers, so I think even my regular contacts would have bothered me. In any case, it wasn't bad enough to want to change them out that day but I probably wouldn't wear them two days in a row..

I don't know about the ones that cover the sclera as well, but they look extremely uncomfortable.

Mine happen to be prescription strength but you can buy them "plain." Even if you don't normally wear contacts, you'll have to have a prescription from an eye doctor for the lenses to make sure they're "sized" correctly -- they only come in one standard diameter/curvature which will fit most people, but not all. If you're one of the few people who fall outside the standard range, you're SOL. They also do not have toric options so they cannot correct an astigmatism (mine is mild enough that it didn't matter). 

In the zombie white out (with the pupil spot), my peripheral vision is a little cloudy so I wouldn't drive in them, but I see plenty well enough to walk around and interact with people and even watch a movie. I thought I would suffer from diminished eyesight in the dark (since more of the pupil area of my eye would be obscured) but there was really no difference. If anything, I'd say it was a little harder to see in brighter light, maybe because it reflected off the white lens? 

Someone else at the convention had the "moon and star" one. It was very subtle, so much so that I didn't even notice it until she pointed it out. Personally, if I'm going drop money on something like this, I'm not going for a "subtle" effect but she seemed happy with them.

I liked the zombie ones so much that I also bought a pair of cat's eye style when they went on sale. For those who have never worn contacts, they can "spin" a bit on your eyes which means with a slitted style (v/s a round one) you run the risk of them not staying aligned. That kind of thing bothers me, but others might not be as OCD. I end up finding a mirror and fixing the alignment every half hour or so. It's not the end of the world, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy a slitted style.

I thought the UV-reactive kind would be cool to try, but from the reviews I've read, they don't really make an impression unless you're right next to the light source.

Walgreens "white out" -- with a 15% discount they offered at the time, I got both a left and right (in prescription strength) for around $96 total including tax (shipping was free). I just checked the Walgreens site and I don't know whether they stopped selling the Wild Eyes or they just don't have them on the site this early.

Coastal Contacts "cats eye" -- I got these for around $60 on sale (also prescription strength). Coastal usually runs a 20% off sale close to Halloween and just after. I ordered my set 2 weeks before Halloween and got them in time, but I would recommend a longer lead time. http://www.coastal.com/search.ep?keyWords=halloween+lenses&x=0&y=0

Overall, since I'm stuck wearing corrective lenses anyway, these were a fun splurge.


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## Brother Grim (Oct 26, 2009)

Guys, this was excellent information and thanks for sharing. Looks like I'm going to get a set. I don't wear contacts so I'm wondering how to put them in without freaking out lol


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## crobin (Jun 14, 2012)

*We got 'em*



Brother Grim said:


> Guys, this was excellent information and thanks for sharing. Looks like I'm going to get a set. I don't wear contacts so I'm wondering how to put them in without freaking out lol



If you're in the UK, check out our range, they're reasonably priced at £15.99 - http://fancydresspartyideas.co.uk/collections/contact-lenses

In fact, we ship all around the world, so wherever you are, there might be something for you there! There's a zombie one, as well as a few UV ones and mystic ones that'd be great for witch & wizard outfits.

Make sure to check out the FAQ if you're not sure about how to use them (there's also a load of info that comes in the pack, regarding how long they can be worn for etc.)


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

If you're in the US, your eye doc will probably give you a trial (non Halloween) pair to check the fit. Newbies generally get a lesson on putting them in and taking them out as well as a sample bottle of solution and a lens case. If you're a first-timer, you might also have to come back the following week for a follow up (no extra charge)...but they might only require that for prescription strength lenses, not sure. Oh, and, if you're doing this as part of your annual eye check, you need to be sure to ask for a "contact" exam. (It's a little more expensive than a plain eyeglass exam.) My doc offers the "fx" lenses but it was a heck of a lot cheaper to get them on-line.



Brother Grim said:


> Guys, this was excellent information and thanks for sharing. Looks like I'm going to get a set. I don't wear contacts so I'm wondering how to put them in without freaking out lol


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## Head Hauntcho (Jul 10, 2009)

See response below.


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## Head Hauntcho (Jul 10, 2009)

In order to purchase contacts you will need a release from your eye doctor. This is law here in the US and sadly there is not much wiggle room. They do this because it is considered a medical device and there had to be controls put in place to stop people damaging their eyes. I sell them on a few sites and got a wake up call when my release forms were audited. I passed- but the board of optometry here in NC initiated the audit.. (gotta love em)..

Now you can buy cheap ones from overseas- but keep in mind they are not FDA certified and have a strong chance of causing a eye infection/Boyle... If you do decide to get some- please make sure they a good brand (such as gothica).. 

last there is a loophole but I will not discuss it on a thread- but will allow you to get them without a release. I only found this out during my lovely audit... 

hope this helps..


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## horrorfanatic (Oct 8, 2010)

I got mine from aclens.com and you will need a rx for them. They are super fast on shipping and the contacts (you buy left and right individual) cost me roughy $65 -$68 for a pair with shipping. If you have a Costco near you, they have an optometrist in the store that can do your "contact exam" and give you a rx as well as trial contacts, solution & a case. They will also teach you how to put them in and take them out as well as contact care & storage. It's barely $100 for all of this and your follow up is free. Personally, I would never put something in my eye that wasn't FDA approved or had some rules and regulations on it to keep some kind of safety. These are your eyes... With that said, I will reaffirm what has been said already, any manufacturer / seller in the US has to require a rx as it is considered a medical device. I have worn mine for 9 hrs and have driven with them in with no problem. They do give me a halo no matter if it's dark or light, but for me it isn't that bad at all & it only affects the peripheral vision a little. They do tend to irritate after you have worn them a while, but I keep rewetting drops (not the same as visine) with me to fix that. I say that you will be looking at around $175 to get your first pair of contacts..... If you ask me as well as others on this board, totally worth it! Get them in advance since you have never worn contacts before. It will give you time to get used to them & also see how long you can have them in before they are going to maybe feel dry / irritate your eyes.


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

Your insurance might at least pick up part of the cost of the exam. Many health insurance plans will cover one eye exam per year. Mine has a max $$$ amount for the exam (and the contact exam is always more) so I was out of pocket for the difference but something is better than nothing!


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## cbus05 (Aug 30, 2012)

horrorfanatic said:


> I got mine from aclens.com and you will need a rx for them. They are super fast on shipping and the contacts (you buy left and right individual) cost me roughy $65 -$68 for a pair with shipping. If you have a Costco near you, they have an optometrist in the store that can do your "contact exam" and give you a rx as well as trial contacts, solution & a case. They will also teach you how to put them in and take them out as well as contact care & storage. It's barely $100 for all of this and your follow up is free. Personally, I would never put something in my eye that wasn't FDA approved or had some rules and regulations on it to keep some kind of safety. These are your eyes... With that said, I will reaffirm what has been said already, any manufacturer / seller in the US has to require a rx as it is considered a medical device. I have worn mine for 9 hrs and have driven with them in with no problem. They do give me a halo no matter if it's dark or light, but for me it isn't that bad at all & it only affects the peripheral vision a little. They do tend to irritate after you have worn them a while, but I keep rewetting drops (not the same as visine) with me to fix that. I say that you will be looking at around $175 to get your first pair of contacts..... If you ask me as well as others on this board, totally worth it! Get them in advance since you have never worn contacts before. It will give you time to get used to them & also see how long you can have them in before they are going to maybe feel dry / irritate your eyes.


AC Lens is definitely a great resource for costume contacts. As mentioned, they require a prescription, but that means the lenses are regulated by the FDA.

For anybody who wants to buy legit lenses (regulated by FDA) you should probably schedule an eye exam if you don't have a prescription for contacts at this point. I know a lot of eye doctors are busy with back-to-school eye exams and such at this point, and sometimes purchasing lenses online can take a little while for them to arrive.


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

Coastal Contact takes 20% off all Halloween and special effects contact lenses via coupon code "SPOOKY". Plus, it also bags free shipping. Deal ends October 24. http://www.coastal.com/halloween-lenses/cHalloweenLenses-p1.html


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

UPDATED - Now 28% off 
Coastal Contacts is offering 28% off Special Effects Contact Lenses with coupon code TERROR. 



emergencyfan said:


> Coastal Contact takes 20% off all Halloween and special effects contact lenses via coupon code "SPOOKY". Plus, it also bags free shipping. Deal ends October 24. http://www.coastal.com/halloween-lenses/cHalloweenLenses-p1.html


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