Best Coloured Contact Lenses For
Largest Colour Options | Dry Eyes | Active Lifestyle | Best Value | Most Popular |
---|---|---|---|---|
Freshlook Colorblends | Air Optix Aqua | Freshlook 1 Day | Freshlook Dimensions | Freshlook Colorblends |
Coloured contact lenses are designed to change the colour of your eyes. Designed and produced by most of the major contact lens manufacturers, coloured contact lenses allow you to experiment with your eye colour.
You can wear coloured contact lenses whether you need contact lenses, glasses or whether you have perfect vision. Some people, including movie stars and influencers use coloured contact lenses to cosmetically disguise an eye condition such as Heterochromia iridum whereby the eyes are of two different colours, or change the colour of their eyes to enhance an outfit, to look younger, more youthful or to make their eyes ”pop” on a photoshoot.
Coloured contact lenses are not just for changing your brown eyes blue, or your blue eyes hazel, they are also available in “Crazy Fx” if you are looking for something completely different or to enhance a fancy dress, comic-con or Anime costume.
Whether you want to enhance the natural beauty of your eyes, change your eye colour completely or are looking for that WOW factor there should be a coloured contact lens for you.
It is always recommended that you have a contact lens fitting with an Optometrist before wearing coloured contact lenses, not only will they check your vision but also your eye health. A contact lens fitting will also include taking measurements of your eye to make sure you get the best fitting lens, an insertion and removal demonstration, advice on how to care for your contact lenses and contact lens check ups.
One of the benefits of a coloured contact lens fitting as you will be able to have a trial of lenses before you buy.
Whilst most coloured contact lenses are monthly disposable contact lenses Alcon have a range of Daily disposable contact lenses for those people who want the convenience and health benefits daily disposables have to offer, or for people who don’t wear their coloured lenses very often.
Available as Monthly or Daily disposable contact lenses
Ideal for non permanent eye colour change
Available in boxes of 2, 6 and 10
Available in - and + powers and also zero powers (0.00)
Coloured contact lenses can be used to enhance your natural eye colour, change your natural eye colour or provide a completely different looking eye. They can also be used to correct an eye condition or alter the look of your eye completely
This type of contact lens is used to change the colour of your iris, either slightly or completely, these are probably what most people think of when they think of coloured contact lenses.
They are available to correct short sightedness or long sightedness and also available with zero power (plano) for those people who want to change their eye colour but do not need spectacle or contact lenses.
Cosmetic contact lenses are available as
Enhancers- These types of coloured lenses are designed and work best for people who have lighter eye shades and want to achieve a more subtle change in colour. Typical examples are going from green to brilliant blue. These lenses tend to give a more natural effect - most people may not notice you are wearing a coloured contact lens. A great example is Freshlook Colorblends that uses 3 in 1 technology to blend three different iris patterns and colours together to give a very natural effect.
Opaques - These types of coloured lenses are designed to help change the eye colour of people with naturally darker eyes. A good example of this is Freshlook Colors. these lenses have the unique property of completely changing a dark coloured eye, for example a brown eye colour, to a stunning blue colour!
Special Effect Contact Lenses - These contact lenses can go by a variety of names, Costume contact lenses, Special Fx and Novelty contact lenses to name a few.
These are opaque contact lenses that transform your eye completely regardless of your original eye colour. The use of this type of contact lens increases around Halloween as they are a good accessory to a fancy dress costume.
You will see them used in the film and TV industry, normally in sci fi or fantasy movies where it calls for the actor or actress to have unusual eyes e.g elliptical cats eyes, gargoyles or The Terminator’s pinpoint red “laser”.
This category also includes sclera lenses - these cover your whole eye - even the white part - these can be uncomfortable and increase risks of infection if not fitted correctly so always consult an Optometrist before attempting to wear sclera lenses.
Medical Contact Lenses - Also referred to as prosthetic contact lenses, are used to alter or restore the appearance of a damaged, disfigured eye or an hereditary eye condition.
These lenses are normally made to order as they are hand painted so that they match your natural unaffected eye. Once in place it should be almost impossible to tell which eye is wearing the contact lens.
Freshlook Colorblends were the first coloured contact lens to blend 3 colours on one lens, their 3-in-1 colour technology creates the most natural looking eye colour.
Available in both + and - powers 12 Colours to choose from.
Freshlook One Day combines the comfort and performance of Alcons Focus Dailies with the cosmetic appeal of Freshlook Colorblends. You can now change your eye colour daily and benefit from the comfort, convenience and health benefits of a daily disposable contact lens.
Available in - powers only, 4 Colours to choose from.
Air Optix Colors are a silicone hydrogel coloured contact lens with Alcon’s SmartShield Technology, creating a super thin layer of protection, shielding your eyes from irritating deposits, providing high levels of comfort all month long.
Available in both + and - powers, 9 Colours to choose from.
Bausch and Lomb's Soflens Natural Colors have improved printing technology, the coloured “ink” is contained within the lens core, creating an outstanding level of comfort with long wearing times.
Available in - powers only, 10 Colours to choose from
The cost of coloured contact lenses can vary depending on whether you wear monthly disposable or daily disposable contact lenses.
Our cheapest and most popular coloured contact lenses are Freshlook Colorblends, they retail at £16.00 for a box of two lenses, you will also need a bottle of Multi Purpose Solution which costs approximately £8.25 so that’s £24.20 per month or just 80p per day.
Daily disposable contact lenses are more expensive particularly if you wear them every day, however if you wear coloured lenses just at weekend or for special occasions then daily disposable can work out cheaper and healthier.
Yes, colored contact lenses are completely safe when used correctly. According to leading manufacturer Alcon "When used as directed, most people can wear colour contact lenses without complications".(1)
Coloured contact lenses often receive bad publicity in the press, this is normally linked to an eye infection and is often due to poor quality contact lenses or bad handling practice.
If you stick to coloured contact lenses produced by the main manufacturers, and follow health care instructions provided by your Optometrist, then coloured contact lenses are no different to regular contact lenses.
Here are some simple guidelines to keep you wearing coloured contact lenses safely
Dos and Don'ts
If you are wearing Daily disposable coloured contact lenses then their care is quite simple - you put a fresh new pair of contact lenses in every morning and throw them out at night, it’s that simple, however, coloured daily disposable contact lenses are not that common and can work out reasonably expensive if you wear them everyday.
Most people who wear coloured contact lenses regularly wear monthly disposables, these require a daily care routine.
With all monthly disposable contact lenses there is an increased risk of the build up of proteins, lipids and deposits, so there are a few essential practices all monthly contact lenses wearers should be aware of, and put into practice, whether the lenses are coloured or not.
Here’s a quick guide, or reminder, of how to inert, remove, and care for your monthly contact lenses
Insertion
A simple five step process will get your contacts in
It's that easy, but if you are new to contact lenses you may benefit from our more in-depth guide on How to put In Contact Lenses
Removal
A simple four step process will get your contacts out.
That may not sound that easy but once you get used to it you can do in a matter of seconds, however if you are new to monthly contact lenses you may benefit from our in depth guide on How to remove Contact Lenses
Mastering how to insert and remove your contact lenses will come with time and practice.
Every night monthly contact lenses need to be removed, cleaned with an approved contact lens solution and stored in a contact lens case with fresh solution using this procedure:
Morning
Evening
This may all seem like a lot to take in, but caring for your coloured contact lenses is important and this soon becomes a simple routine at the end of the day.
Largest Colour Options | Dry Eyes | Active Lifestyle | Best Value | Most Popular |
---|---|---|---|---|
Freshlook Colorblends | Air Optix Aqua | Freshlook 1 Day | Freshlook Dimensions | Freshlook Colorblends |
Yes, provided you purchase from a reputable contact lens supplier and stick to coloured contact lenses from the major contact lens manufacturers such as Alcon and Bausch and lomb , then purchasing coloured contact lenses online is perfectly safe.
Avoid buying coloured contact lenses from fashion and accessory outlets.
Yes.
If you don’t need contact lenses to correct your vision but want to change the colour of your eyes, that is possible, as coloured contact lenses are available with zero power (plano) these are also a good idea if you have a very high prescription that is not covered by coloured contact lenses, as you can wear zero powered to change your eye colour and then wear your glasses to correct your vision
We always recommend getting a contact lens fitting for coloured contact lenses even if you don’t need a prescription.
No.
Unfortunately there is not currently an extended wear coloured contact lens, so you will need to remove your contact lenses every evening, clean them and store them overnight in a multi purpose solution, then rinse in the morning before reinsertion, unless you are wearing daily disposable coloured contact lenses in which case you can remove them at night and throw away and use a fresh new pair in the morning.
If you have dark eyes and want to make them lighter or if you are looking for a dramatic effect we recommend Freshlook Colors or Soflens Natural Colors. Dark eyes tend to overpower partially translucent coloured lenses, and require a more opaque colouring to make a noticeable change so these are ideal.
References
1. Alcon FAQ about coloured contact lenses
https://colors.myalcon.com/color-contact-lenses/fa...
Author: John Dreyer Optometrist Bsc(Hons), MCOPTOM, DipCLP
John qualified from Aston University in 1980, he has authored for Contactlenses.co.uk over the last 20 years, bringing his expertise to visitors to the site and providing valuable optical advice to customer questions throughout the years. He has been featured by several leading publications including The Express and ITProPortal