Can You Buy Colored Contacts Without a Prescription?

Colored contacts let you find a color to match your mood.

Change your eye color as often as you change clothes. Contact lenses have made the transition from boring vision correction to fashion accessory. Enhance your appearance with lenses in any conceivable color. Choose from natural-looking tints and striking contrasts.

Types of colored contacts

There are two main types of colored contact lenses: enhancement and color tints. Enhancement contacts provide subtle color shifts. Select opaque color lenses for a dramatic eye color change.

Choosing the right color

For an everyday look, select colors that compliment your skin tone, hair color and for women, favorite eye makeup colors. For special occasion or evenings, throw caution to the wind and be as dramatic as you dare.

With or without correction

For those with perfect vision, plano -- or uncorrected -- contacts provide color options without correction. For unusual prescriptions, look for manufacturers specializing in astigmatism and bifocal lenses.

Disadvantages

The colored iris portion of the lens can shift during blinking, partially obscuring the pupil. Low light conditions may also cause minor vision problems (when the pupil becomes larger than the clear center of the lens).

FDA regulations

The FDA now classifies all contact lenses as medical devices. It requires that all contact lenses be dispensed with a valid prescription from a licensed eye care professional following a complete exam and fitting.

References

• All About Vision: Color Contact Lenses
• ColorMeContacts.com: Get an Instant Makeover with Colored Contact Lenses
• MedicineNet.com: Contact Lenses: Colored, Soft, Hard, Toric and Bifocal

Resources

• FreshLook Color Contact Lenses: Common Questions
• Custom Color Contacts: Cosmetic Contact Lenses
• LensesByMail.com: Color Contact Lenses