Dressing up for Halloween or a costume party is fun! But if
you, your teen, or your child is celebrating Halloween this year, you should be
aware of some Halloween safety tips, two might prevent vision loss. Prevent Blindness of America has
13 Halloween safety tips on listed on their
website. Their first Halloween safety tip is:
- Wear make up instead of masks. Use mom's hypo-allergenic makeup if possible or purchase hypo-allergenic formulas. Have an adult apply the makeup and remove it with cold cream instead of soap and water.
You might wonder why a child should not wear a mask. It has to do with visibility. We rely on our peripheral or side vision to travel safely. Many store bought masks severely limit this peripheral vision.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in a press release (CPSC, 2003), noted that if children should wear masks the masks should have good visibility and be easy to breathe through. They noted if you didn't want to worry about the mask issue, you could always use makeup or use face paint to make your own virtual mask.
If you decide to decorate your own face, please be aware of the following two Halloween safety tips that could prevent vision loss:
- Do not use decorative contact lenses without appropriate involvement by an eye care professional
- Be sure that you use make-up appropriate and clean it off before go to bed, especially be careful of eye cosmetics
Below are two summaries of issues related to decorative contact lenses and make-up and eye cosmetics. Links to other resources are provided where you can get more details.
Decorative Contact Lenses
Decorative contact lenses are available for many occasions are popular during Halloween. Movies have popularized their use. They can be quite fun and add to the effect of a custom and are especially popular with teens. These decorative contact lenses can actually be purchased on the internet. But the can be harmful.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted that decorative lenses can cause permanent eye injury and may potentially lead to blindness. Corneal ulcers have been linked to wearing decorative contact lenses if lenses are worn longer than recommended. Corneal ulcers can progress rapidly, and, if left untreated, could lead to infection of the eye. Uncontrolled infection can lead to corneal scarring and vision impairment and can result in blindness and eye loss.
Other risks include the following eye conditions:
- conjunctivitis (an infection of the eye)
- corneal edema (swelling)
- allergic reaction
- corneal abrasion due to poorly fitted lenses
- reduction in visual acuity (sight), or
- other functional vision loss.
So please, if you decide to use decorative contact lenses contact an eye care professional to ensure that they are properly fitted, proper handling occurs, and they are not worn longer than recommended. This could save your sight.
Learn more about issues related to decorative contact lenses:
- Halloween Contact Lenses Tips and Trends
- Decorative Contact Lenses
- FDA Warns Consumers of the Dangers of Using Decorative Contact Lenses Without Proper Professional Involvement October 29, 2004
Make-Up and Eye Cosmetics
Using make-up instead of a mask is recommended by both the Prevention of Blindness of America and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates cosmetics, offered a few Halloween safety tips related to make-up in general and generic tips regarding eye cosmetics. The tips ensure healthy eyes.
In brief, when you make-up your face use products that are for the skin. Follow the directions of the purchased products. If the directions say don't use around the eye, don't use it around the eye even if the picture on the product displays the make-up close to the eye. If you haven't used the product before, you might want to test it to ensure that it does not irritate your skin. Be sure to wash off all make-up before going to bed. Skin make-up might cause eye infection and get into the eye when sleeping.
Be careful with what you use around your eyes. Eye cosmetics might be safe when you buy them, but without proper care they can become contaminated with bacteria. The FDA urges you to follow the following safety tips:
- If any eye cosmetic causes irritation, stop using it immediately. If irritation persists, see a doctor.
- Avoid using eye cosmetics if you have an eye infection or the skin around the eye is inflamed. Wait until the area is healed. Discard any eye cosmetics you were using when you got the infection.
- Wash your hands before applying eye cosmetics. There are bacteria on your hands that, if placed in the eye, could cause infections.
- Make sure that any instrument you place in the eye area is clean.
- Don't share your cosmetics. You don't know if they are old or contaminated with bacteria.
- Keep containers clean. Don't allow cosmetics to become covered with dust or contaminated with dirt or soil.
- Discard mascara three months after purchase.
- Discard dried-up mascara. Don't add saliva or water to moisten it. The bacteria from your mouth may grow in the mascara and cause infection. Adding water may introduce bacteria and will dilute the preservative that is intended to protect against microbial growth.
- Don't store cosmetics at temperatures above 85 degrees F. Cosmetics held for long periods in hot cars, for example, are more susceptible to deterioration of the preservative.
- Never apply or remove eye cosmetics in a moving vehicle. When applying or removing eye cosmetics, be careful not to scratch the eyeball or other sensitive area.
- Don't use any cosmetics near your eyes unless they are intended specifically for that use. For instance, don't use a lip liner as an eye liner. You may be exposing your eyes to contamination from your mouth, or to color additives that are not approved for use in the area of the eye.
- Avoid color additives that are not approved for use in the area of the eye, such as "permanent" eyelash tin ts and kohl. Be especially careful to keep kohl away from children, since reports have linked it to lead poisoning.
Learn more about issues related to make-up and eye cosmetics: