NOWADAYS with the help of cosmetic contact lenses, brown-eyed girls can brandish baby-blues if they so choose. But most may be unaware of the potentially costly consequences.

    People who have no need for correcting their vision are still donning these lenses, simply for cosmetic purposes. Sales of contact lenses are up 20 percent, and manufacturers are targeting the youth market with wild colors and patterns like zebra, ice fire, knockouts, and red hots.

    But what began as a fashion fad is also a potential health hazard. Even cosmetic lenses that have no vision correction in them have to be fitted by an eye doctor. That’s the law. But many teens are buying bootleg colored lenses without a prescription from often unlicensed vendors, and taking other risks.

    All contact lenses carry the potential for serious complications. However, some people carry the belief that because colored lenses do not correct vision and are purely cosmetic, they are not as risky to wear without a prescription.

    “The fallacy of that logic is that they are made of some of the same materials and they fit on the cornea as a foreign body just like any other contact lens,” explains Dr. Gary Foulks, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

    Proper fit and care, which eye care professionals guarantee, can reduce the risk of painful complications. “If (a lens) is too tight, it can squeeze and cause scratches. If it’s too loose, it’ll roll around and usually falls out,” says Dr. Susan Taub, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Northwestern University School of Medicine. (SD-Agencies)