Coloured contact lenses a hit with fashionistas

Recent interest among younger patients in ‘horror’ or appearance-altering contact lenses reminded me of when I worked in a practice opposite a ‘gadget’ shop which freely supplied coloured designer lenses to teenagers with abandon. Days after the millennium festivities, I had to pick up the pieces for several revellers who had returned to the shop in varying degrees of pain where they were directed by panicked staff to our practice.

Two people needed immediate referral for early microbial keratitis signs. Though 2005 saw some clarification of the regulation regarding the supply of zero-powered lenses in the UK (see key points), it is still the case that easy and unregulated access to ‘party’ lenses makes ocular complications a real concern. Key factors include: