Color Contact Lenses - 7 Things You Need to Consider Before
Buying Them
Color contact lenses can really brighten your look and your
life, but selecting the perfect pair is not as easy as it
sounds. We will tell you everything you need to know about color
contacts.
1. Are your eyes light or dark?
When deciding what color contact to buy, take into account the
natural color of your eyes. If your eyes are light and you want
to brighten their natural color, go for enhancement color
contacts. Enhancers look more natural on light eyes. However, if
your eyes are dark or you want a dramatic change, look at opaque
color contacts.
2. What kind of change do you want - a dramatic effect or a
slight change?
Some color contact lenses are brighter than the others. The
brightest hues, like Freshlook Colorblends True Sapphire, are
best for parties, when you are also going to have evening make
up. For work, on the other hand, you might prefer lenses that
aren't so vivid. These rules are not set in stone, of course,
just make sure to consider how bright a lens you want before
making your purchase.
See pictures of colored contacts by most popular brands
3. Think about comfort as well as the look
Go for well-known brands of contact lenses, so your lenses feel
as good as they look. You can get disposable (weekly and
monthly) as well as traditional (annual replacement) color
contacts. Which is best for you depends on how often and for how
long you intend to wear your color lenses. If you are going to
wear them every day and all day long, it is better to buy
disposable lenses, like Acuvue 2 Colors or Freshlook. Replacing
the lenses often won't let protein deposits to build up on them
and the lenses will feel more comfortable.
On the other hand, if you only want to have those perfect blue
or green eyes occasionally, annual replacement color lenses
would serve your purpose.
4. You need a prescription to buy color contacts
All contact lenses, including color ones, are considered medical
devices. So, whether or not you need vision correction, you will
need a doctor's prescription to buy color lenses. Color contacts
are not "one size fits all", and even if you have perfect vision
your eye doctor has to measure the base curve of your eye.
Most famous brands of color contacts are available in plano (no
correction power) as well as with plus and minus powers. But if
you have an astigmatism your choices are very limited; so far
only Freshlook offers toric color contacts.
5. You can get free trial color contacts from your
doctor
Most doctors can offer you a trial pair of color contact lenses.
Of course, he or she won't let you try many lenses, so you
should have some idea about brand and the color you want before
you ask your doctor for a free trial pair. Many people are
searching for free trial color contacts online. However, since
color lenses are medical devices, the only place you can get
them is an optometrist's office.
6. Compare the prices at several shops
You probably already know that the best way to save on color
contact lenses is to buy them online. However, online prices
differ from shop to shop. After you have selected the exact lens
you want and visited your eye doctor for a prescription, check
the prices for your lenses in several shops. You should also
take the shipping charges into account.
7. Be prepared to care for your color lenses properly
If you already wear corrective contact lenses, you probably
have guessed that color contacts would require similar care. If
you want to buy non prescription color lenses purely for
cosmetic purposes, you will still have to look after them
properly. Don't be scared, this is not hard and take only a few
minutes. When giving you a prescription, your doctor should show
you how to put the lenses in, take them off, clean and store
your contacts. If he or she doesn't, make sure to ask. Then all
you need to do, is not to forget to clean your color contacts
every time you take them off.