#Hazel contacts free

Getty ImagesĪ lens prescription typically comes with a specific set of parameters, says Mike Shea, an optometrist in Connecticut. Since the market for colored contacts is so big, researchers aren’t certain of the risk customers can be exposed to. Since there are so many lenses available, the study concluded that optometrists should be skeptical about the quality of most colored lenses.

Still, the problem with purchasing decorative lenses online is that there’s such a vast marketplace of options that some products - especially ones that can be obtained without a prescription - might not be tested as safe for use.Īs a 2015 study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences found, a product’s safety depends on how it’s manufactured and the chemicals used in the process. Some are wary of brands that don’t verify a customer’s prescription or ones that take weeks to ship out an order. Interested lens buyers tend to congregate on online forums or blogs and discuss which vendors are most reputable and have the best prices. Lenses retail for as low as $15 a pair before shipping costs, but prices vary depending on the contacts’ length of wear, prescription, and brand. Contacts sold from overseas vendors are comparably cheaper and can be bought as singular pairs. Caitlin AlexanderĬolored contacts aren’t necessarily harmful there are federally regulated brands like Freshlook, Air Optix, and Acuvue that require a prescription to obtain. “But the next day, I couldn’t even look at any light source and couldn’t see right for a few hours.”įrom Alexander’s blog, when she tried on the pink lenses from Uniqso. “When I took those pink contacts out at night, my eyes were slightly blurry,” the 28-year-old recalls. She had worn a pair of soft pink lenses from Uniqso, a vendor from Malaysia, for eight hours the day before (as she usually does) and woke up with eyes that were extremely sensitive to light. It was a rebellious habit, one she stopped shortly after a pair of “bad contacts” severely impaired her vision for a day.

When Caitlin Alexander ran an alternative fashion blog in 2015, she cycled through five different pairs of circle lenses a week, with colors ranging from electric blue to mustard yellow. But for the most part, these partnerships and products appear to be unregulated online, creating a free-for-all marketplace where a contact lens brand’s popularity dictates consumer trust. Others have more lax standards for their influencer-like partnerships, requiring only a blog or an active Instagram account to promote products.

#Hazel contacts free

Companies scope out lifestyle and beauty influencers for affiliate partnerships, offering them free lenses and the potential to earn am commission in exchange for a post or a video. On Instagram, vendors command a network of hundreds of thousands of followers built on sponsored posts and affiliate marketing. And these contacts aren’t just worn by beauty gurus, makeup artists, and micro-influencers trying to become big-name influencers, but also your regular consumer. Since it’s 2019, the marketing platform of choice is now Instagram instead of YouTube. Pinky Paradise A collage-like ad for blue contacts. They cater to specific customers: TTD Eye is popular among beauty influencers who prefer lenses in striking shades of hazel and gray, while Uniqso is a haven for cosplayers who aim for vibrant, distorted-looking circle lenses.Īn ad for red circle lenses. Within the past two years, there’s been a subtle resurgence of colored contact lenses from overseas vendors with whimsical names like TTD Eye, Ohmykitty4u, Uniqso, and Pinky Paradise. While I was told they would last me a year, I threw out the contacts after a few months because they dried out my eyes and I have been skeptical of them since. Luckily for me, I didn’t seriously injure myself. They warn of the potential for severe eye infections and even partial blindness. Widespread concern over these unregulated lenses subsided over time, but every year, the FDA, Federal Trade Commission, and American Academy of Ophthalmology remind customers to be wary of purchasing colored lenses without a prescription, usually around Halloween. (The FDA requires vendors to register products on its site before they can be commercially distributed it’s a process overseas vendors can afford to neglect since their businesses don’t rely solely on American customers.) Months after Phan’s viral video, the New York Times published a story on the risk behind eye-enhancing circle lenses, which are not approved by the FDA.

The cosmetic lens fad began more than a decade ago in Asia, and through YouTube, blogs, and online forums, the trend proliferated - spreading among young women and cosplayers, people who dress up as characters from pop culture.