Whether it’s for yourself or for your children, be sure to keep eye safety in mind this Halloween!

You might not think of Halloween as potentially being dangerous for the eyes, but we actually tend to see the same types of accidents every year. So let’s talk about how to have a great Halloween, without ending up with an emergency trip to the eye doctor.

Three Big Halloween Eye Safety Tips

1 – Do NOT wear stage/costume contact lenses

This is by far the most common cause of eye problems we see around Halloween. Some costumes come with cheap fake contact lenses to create monster eyes or cat’s eyes or similar effects.

They’re cheaply made, and can have sharp plastic edges which could scratch your eyeballs. Others are made with potentially-dangerous chemicals like chlorine or iron. Sad to say, we’ve seen more than our share of eye infections caused by costume contacts.

You should only ever wear contacts prescribed and created by licensed eye doctors.

2 – Be careful with eye makeup

A lot of stage makeup is made with chemicals like parabens or benzalkonium chloride which can damage the eyes, if the makeup starts running. Others may cause allergic reactions, especially if they have metallic elements.

If you’re planning a costume that involves eye makeup, look for hypoallergenic products. Then buy the makeup a few days before you’ll be using it. Test it out by rubbing some on your arm, then waiting a few hours to see if there’s any kind of allergic reaction. If not, it should be safe to use.

Also, on the topic, never use glitter near your eyes. It can and will scratch your eyes, if it gets into them.

3 – Wear protective glasses when cutting

A lot of Halloween decorations involve cutting, such as carving pumpkins or cutting cloth elements for a costume. Always wear eyeglasses or goggles for eye safety! This is a good idea whenever you’re cutting anything, really. But at Halloween, it’s surprisingly easy for small debris to start flying around.

Also, if your costume involves a fake blade, like a plastic sword or knife, treat it like a real blade. Those pointy ends could still easily poke your eye out, if an accident occurred.

And of course, if anything does happen to your eyes this Halloween, Valley Eyecare Center is here for you! Click here to contact us.