Coloured Contact Lenses

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 “Special Effects” 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.

Key Points

Helpful Guide To Coloured Contact Lenses

Types of Coloured Contact Lenses

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

Cosmetic Contact lenses

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.

Our Customers Top 5 Coloured Contact Lenses

How Much Do Coloured Contact Lenses Cost

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.

Are Coloured Contact Lenses Safe

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

• Do – Take proper care of your lenses. Follow the instructions given by the manufacturer, and only wear them as long as they were intended. Dailies should be disposed of when taken out, and monthlies should be replaced at 30 days. Wearing lenses longer than prescribed can cause health risks, and reduce the quality of vision.
• Do - Make sure you enjoy your new look. If not, change it!  There's no point in sticking with a lens you don't think looks good on you. You decided to try colored lenses to feel better about your appearance, so don't settle for anything less than perfect.
• Don't - Share your coloured lenses with any one. Lenses are fitted specifically for the eyes of the person they are prescribed to, and are very unlikely to fit another person's eyes. Even more importantly, the risk of eye infection skyrockets when lenses are shared between people.
• Don't - Wear contact lenses if your eyes are sore or irritated. These may be symptoms of a serious problem, and wearing contacts may make the problem even worse. If the irritation doesn't go away after a day or two, consult your eye care practitioner.
• Don't - Use your contact lenses for a longer period of time that is recommended for the lens. A daily lens should be disposed of every day, a monthly lens every month.
• Don't - Sleep in your coloured contact lenses

Getting The Best Out Of Your Coloured Contact Lenses

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.

• Always wash and dry your hands before handling lenses
• Removing lenses every night and soaking them in an approved solution
• Never exposing lenses to tap, or swimming pool water
• Gently rub lenses clean with solution before putting them in
• Throw lenses away after 1 month whether you have worn them 30 times or not
• Throw away lenses as soon as they reach their expiration date

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

1. Clean your hands.
2. Remove the contact lens from it's case.
3. Separate your upper and lower lid.
4. Place the contact lens on your eye.
5. Blink slowly to allow lens to settle

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.

1. Clean your hands.
2. Pull down your lower eyelid.
3. Pinch the contact lens gently.
4. Look up and slide the lens downwards

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

• Wash and thoroughly dry your hands before handling your contact lenses
• Remove your contact lens from it’s storage case, apply a few drops of your recommended solution on the front and back of the lens and rub gently with your index finger
• Insert your contact lens
• Empty your contact lens case of solution and let it air dry

Evening

• Wash and thoroughly dry your hands before handling your contact lenses
• Remove contact lens from your eye, apply a few drops of your recommended solution on the front and back of the lens and rub gently with your index finger
• Store the lens in your contact lens case and submerge with fresh solution

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.

FAQ's

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