By Karen Lee
lee@newsroom.byu.edu
Just as people use hair dye to change the color of their hair, people use colored contacts to change the color of their eyes.
Colored contacts are not new to the market place, but the selection of colors and designs available is getting larger, as well as the types of lenses offered.
Matt Georgeson, office manager at Lund Optical in Provo, said that many people who wear colored contacts don't need them for vision enhancement, but wear them just as a way to spice up their eyes.
James Abraham, an optometrist at Advantage Eye Care, said that colored contacts are just as safe as regular contacts and are becoming just as popular.
According to allaboutvison.com there are four different types of colored contacts: visibility tints, enhancement tints, light-filtering tints and opaque color tints.
The Web site said a visibility tint contact does not affect eye color, but is tinted for the purpose of helping users during insertion and removal. It usually has a light blue or green tint added to the lens.
People who have light colored eyes usually use an enhancement tint contact. The solid colored, yet translucent lens helps make natural eye colors more intense, according to the site.
Light-filtering tints are designed for sports use, because they enhance certain colors such as optic yellow, the color of tennis balls and some softballs and golf balls.
The lenses mute most other colors, thus helping the ball stand out against any background colors, making it is easier to spot, the site said.
To change the color of the iris completely, opaque tint contacts are used. They are usually found in hazel, green, blue, violet and gray. The center of the lens that covers the pupil is clear, allowing users of the lens to see.
A company called Wide Eyes creates opaque tint contacts with designs and colors that are not natural looking. Colors like fire engine red, bright white and contacts colored to look like pool balls, cat's eyes and even hypnotized cartoon eyes are what this company specializes in.
One problem with opaque contacts is that the pupil is constantly changing sizes and sometimes the fixed hole on the contact that the eye looks through isn't big enough to allow the entire pupil to see out. This may cause some minor vision problems that most get used to, Abraham said.
Because the FDA has classified contacts as medical devices, in order to get them legally, a valid contact lens prescription is required. Such a prescription can be obtained after being fitted for contacts and an eye exam, Abraham said.
Carolyn Fulton, manager at Standard Optical in Orem, said colored contacts are easy to get and safe to use, but users should not share their contacts with others. Sharing can lead to an eye infection or other potentially dangerous eye conditions.