This Halloween, why not take your costume to the next level? With Halloween contact lenses (also commonly known as "special effects contact lenses" or "decorative lenses") you can do just that. As long as you adhere to the health and safety advice mentioned below, Halloween contacts could be the perfect finishing touch to bring the character in your costume to life!

Special effect contacts have been used in film, television, and theatre, even rock concert stages, for years, and now they're available at affordable prices to you, the consumer. You can find decorative contact lenses in all kinds of styles. From simple colors (ever wanted to be a red-eyed alien or a green-eyed reptile?) to elaborate designs (zebra stripes, stars, flowers, X's...) there are as many ways to use decorative contact lenses to enhance your Halloween ensemble as there are jack o' lanterns aglow on All Hallow's Eve.

Some of the great designs and styles of Halloween contacts available this year include: hypnotic spirals, cat eyes, wolf eyes, eagle eyes, bloodshot eyes, flames, all-white, all-black. It really gets your creative wheels spinning doesn't it? What are you going to be this year after all?

One variable you'll have to consider when poring through the choices is whether you want Halloween contact lenses that cover the entire sclera (that's the whites of your eyes) or just the pupil (the eyeball). There's plenty in either category, making it either harder or easier to decide, depending upon your viewpoint.

Knowing the kind of look you're going for will help a lot. Are you, for example, trying to transform yourself into a particular character (a Vampire, possibly, or even more specifically, the Vampire Lestat himself - because that's available too)? Special effects lenses that include the entire sclera often creates an all-encompassing, fully-transformative effect, incorporating more of the whole body into "becoming" this other figure. But maybe you merely want to accentuate a "look", the zeitgeist of an era, or an abstract concept. For this latter option, a cute design or a picture superimposed on your pupil alone, like a temporary tattoo, might be just the thing.

Some current favorites of the decorative lenses you'll find include those with the Biohazard /"Radioactive" symbol, symbols of poker suits, stars-and-stripes, Dune eyes, dollar-sign eyes, spider webs, smiley faces, both Predator eyes and Alien eyes, both Darth Vader and the Sith. You'll find styles and designs both timely and timeless as you explore all the options of Halloween lenses available.

Crucial in the safe and responsible use of special effect contact lenses for Halloween or at any other time, according to the FDA, is involvement by a licensed eye care professional. In fact, it's the law. Decorative lenses improperly made or used improperly have been known to cause permanent eye injury and even eventual blindness. Therefore, you must see your eye doctor before shopping for Halloween contact lenses to get proper fitting and instructions as well as the necessary prescription. You will need this whether you ordinarily wear prescription lenses or not. And don't even think of purchasing decorative lenses from any store (online or off) that doesn't ask for your prescription; it is illegal.

Some of the things your doctor will invariably tell you are that decorative contact lenses are not for everyday wear. Consider them for special occasions only. Never sleep or swim or bathe with them in, and don't use them while engaging in any activity that requires sharp visual acuity, for example cooking or driving or operating heavy machinery. In plain English - someone could get hurt.

Halloween contacts should not be worn unceasingly for long periods of time since prolonged use can cause strain and infection. And they should be clean and disinfected carefully before and after each use, according to your doctor's instruction. If after using Halloween contact lenses, you notice redness, swelling, or feel any sort of pain in the area, please contact your eye doctor immediately. Even if it turns out to be nothing, the joy in Halloween is that the danger is imagined, so let's keep it that way.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!