Have you planned your Halloween costume yet? Every costume lover’s favorite festival is around the corner, and if you have not planned your costume, you should start now before it is to late!

When planning your Halloween costume, don’t forget to consider your Halloween contact lens too. Contact lenses tend to be overlooked by many cosplayers, however, wearing the contact lens that matches your cosplay character will actually bring the entire character to life, especially when taking selfies or closeups. 

• Natural, which are 14mm diameter lens
• Circle, which are 16mm in diameter, and 
• Sclera, which covers the entire eye whites, at 22mm in diameter

Nowadays, it is easier to get prescription colored contact lenses. As long as you know your dioptres (or in layman terms - power), you can buy your Halloween contact lenses online. The trick to buying the right power is to lower the units by 0.25 from your usual power when using glasses. This is because the focal length when wearing your glasses and when wearing contact lenses differ. If you are unsure on what power you need to get, do check with your optometrist to get your power readings.

If you do not need prescription contacts, you need to go for Plano lenses, which means having 0.00 power. Otherwise, if you’re short sighted, your power would be in negative (example: -1.75), while if you’re long sighted, your power will be in positive numbers (example: +0.50).

Your contact lens will not be able to last forever. There is an expiry and depending on how you care for your contacts, you need to dispose of them within a certain period. The most common disposable periods are:

Daily

Daily contact lenses are designed to be used and thrown. It is ideal for beginners, or for those who are too lazy to maintain their contact lenses. It is easy to use and the risk of eye infection is very low.

Monthly

If you plan to wear contacts for a certain period, or even for a special occasion like Halloween, then monthly contact lenses would be the best. Most Halloween contact lenses are also in the disposable period bracket. Monthly contact lenses do not necessarily need to be disposed of in a month; there are some types that stretch for a 3-month period or 6-month period.

Monthly disposable contacts need some sort of maintenance and care to keep it at tip-top condition.

Yearly

Some regular cosplayers prefer these types of contacts as they would be able to keep reusing them for multiple cosplays and photography. However, yearly contact lenses would need to be maintained well in order to prevent them from drying out in their individual cases, and to prevent eye infection in the event they are not cleaned or stored properly.

To ensure that your Halloween contact lenses are kept in tip-top condition, there are a few guidelines to follow. 

1. Wash your hands before you handle your contact lens, whether before putting on or when removing.

2. Contact lenses should always be washed and stored using approved saline or multipurpose solutions. Do not use water to wash them or store them.

3. Use a clean and dry contact lens’ case to minimize bacteria and mold growth.

4. If you’re using a 6-monthly or yearly contact lens, make sure to replace your contact lens container every 3 months to avoid contamination.

5. Don’t let the tip of your contact lens solution touch anything, including the contacts itself.

6. Don’t use expired lens solution. Don’t mix old and new solutions either to avoid contamination.

Before your Halloween debut, make sure to practice putting on and removing your contact lens. Not only do you need to check whether it matches your costume, you will also need to test how comfortable you would feel to be wearing that particular contacts on Halloween itself. Don’t wait till the very last minute or you might end up with red, irritated eyes, which will spoil your party.