During Contact Lens Safety Awareness Month, Florida Eye Specialists emphasizes the importance of proper contact lens hygiene and care to protect your long-term eye health. In this video, Jacksonville optometrist Dr. Ashley Cowart shares essential contact lens safety tips, especially relevant during Halloween when decorative lenses are popular. Dr. Cowart explains the risks of purchasing lenses without a prescription, including eye infections and even permanent vision loss. She also outlines best practices for cleaning, storing, and wearing contacts to avoid common eye conditions like corneal ulcers or dry eye syndrome.
Whether you’re a daily contact wearer or just exploring costume lenses for a night, this segment will equip you with the knowledge to make safe and informed decisions. Florida Eye Specialists is proud to offer expert contact lens fittings, personalized vision care, and the latest eye health resources.
Video Transcript
Hi, I’m Dr. Ashley Cowart, I’m an optometrist at Florida Eye Specialists. October is Contact Lens Safety Month, so I just wanted to remind everybody of a few important things. With Halloween soon approaching, if you’re considering a cosmetic contact lens with your Halloween costume — unfortunately, there are a few bad actors on the internet, and you can order cosmetic contact lenses that may not be FDA-approved. The danger in that is that we can’t guarantee they’re safe and sterile, and it does put your eye potentially at risk for infection. The good news is there are safe cosmetic contact lenses available — see your eye doctor for a prescription.
Number two: it’s very important to have proper contact lens care, hygiene, and replacement. All of these things will decrease your risk of having any serious contact-lens-related infection. We love daily disposable contact lenses because they have one of the lowest risks of infection of any soft contact lens; however, not everybody is a good candidate for a daily disposable. In those cases, make sure you’re following the recommended replacement and hygiene if you’re using a lens every two weeks or four weeks.
And last is a reminder: please don’t sleep in your contact lenses. Studies have shown that people who regularly sleep in their contact lenses may be at up to a five-times-increased risk of a contact-lens-related infection. Here at Florida Eye Specialists, we see and deal with a lot of serious contact-lens-related corneal infections, and we know a lot of those infections could be prevented by people just not sleeping in their lenses and following proper care and replacement. While we can treat some of these conditions, not all of them are treatable — they can be sight-threatening. So please, please, please take care of your contact lenses. If you have any questions or concerns about contact lens safety or eye health, please contact us.
