Contact lenses are thin, curved, plastic membranes that cover the cornea of the eye for better visibility. They are generally used as substitutes for glasses to correct certain conditions like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or presbyopia. There are also contacts that correct certain conditions of crossed eyes without surgery. They are much more comfortable than glasses since the wearer doesn’t feel their presence, unless there is a problem with the lenses. There are many kinds of contact lenses: PMMA lenses, gas-permeable lenses and soft contact lenses.

Color contacts are lenses that change the color of the eye. Wearing color contacts is a very easy and natural way to change the look of your face by trying out different colored lenses. Like regular contact lenses, there are many kinds of colored contacts available. These days, colored contacts are very natural looking and they can even be custom designed to suit the skin color of the user perfectly. There is special equipment such as digital photography to match the colors perfectly. Colored contacts come in four kinds: enhancement tints, visibility tints, opaque color tints and light-filtering tints. The most common colors are: blue, green, brown, hazel, gray, purple, aqua, turquoise, and sapphire. These are usually chosen based on skin color.

There are also special effects contact lenses that are for conceptual or novelty uses. Some popular designs are: zebras, cat eyes, white-out, jaguars, wildlife, red hot, ice fire, hypnotica, knockout, aliens, wolves, stars and stripes, and fire. These can also be custom designed to suit your costume.

Colored contacts, like ordinary contacts, require a doctor’s prescription. There are also some non-prescription colored contacts, but they also require a prescription legally. They are plain lenses for just changing the color of the eye without altering the vision in any way.

Colored contacts can be obtained from most optometrists. The optometric would require the size of the pupil, the base curve and the diameter of the iris for making the lenses. There are many options to choose from: the kind of material, soft or hard, transparent or opaque, the objective of wearing a lens (vision correction), the price, as well as others.

Colored lenses are easy to maintain. They should be worn only for limited hours, depending on the lenses and they should never be worn while sleeping. There are certain disinfectants and lens cleaning liquids available such as RENU and Optifree which are used for cleaning and storing the lenses. Saline fluids are used for rewetting and rinsing. Hydrogen peroxide cleaning systems should never be used. These days, there are extended wear lenses that can be worn continuously for up to 30 days.

There are many sources for buying colored contacts. Many optometrists offer special services and insurance with the contacts. Prices differ vastly depending on the kind of lenses, the material used, and the power of the lenses. Normal soft disposable color contacts start at $20. Hard lenses are more durable and are more expensive. Some are priced as high as $1,200 a pair. There are also cheaper colored contacts available through discount retailers. Look for a reliable supplier when buying colored contacts because eye care is very important.