A Beginner's Guide to Colored Contact Lenses

You’ve been looking in the mirror at your eye color for some time now, and feel it’s time to change things up and make your eyes look the boldest and brightest they’ve ever been. So why not experiment with a variety of colors? Complement your skin with a new eye color that’s subtle, bold or anywhere in between.

Using tinted contact lenses is the most common way to change eye color for a short period of time. Color contacts are available in both prescription and Plano (non-prescription) forms. Prescription color contacts are used to correct vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism or presbyopia, as well as enhance or completely change your eye color as they come in a range of different colors. Plano – non-prescription – color contacts are worn purely for cosmetic reasons to change your eye color and do not offer any vision correction. Although Plano contact lenses aren’t corrective, they need to be treated in exactly the same way as normal contacts should be, which means always handling them with clean hands, using disinfecting solution to protect your eyes from germs, and cleaning your contacts with sterile solution.  

Types of Colored Contacts

Colored contact lenses come in a range of different colors and are designed to imitate the natural appearance of the Iris, which is a colored ring made up of different shapes and lines. Most color contacts feature a series of tiny colored dots, lines, and shapes to help the lenses look more natural on the eye.

Colored contacts come in three kinds of tints:

1. Visibility tint. Colored contact lenses with a visibility tint are usually colored a light blue or green, just to help you see it better during insertion and removal, or if you drop it. Visibility tints are relatively faint and do not change the color of your eyes at all.
2. Enhancement tint. Colored contacts with this type of tint have a translucent (see-through) tint that enhances the natural color of your eye. These are a little darker than a visibility tint but won’t change the color of your eyes. Enhancement tinted lenses will work best for people who have light-colored eyes and want to make their eye color more intense.
3. Opaque tint. Colored contacts with an opaque tint are non-transparent and can change the color of your eye completely. This type of colored contact lens is meant for people who have dark color eyes and they come in a wide variety of colors, including hazel, green, blue, violet, amethyst, brown and gray.

Choosing the Right Color for Your Eyes

The contact lens color that will suit you best depends on numerous factors, such as your hair color and skin tone. But, ultimately, it depends on the kind of look you want to achieve — subtle and natural-looking or dramatic and daring.

Colored Contacts for Dark Eyes

If your eyes are dark, opt for opaque tinted lenses to alter your eye color and make it lighter. For a natural look, choose a honey brown hue a few shades above your natural brown color. Or transform your eye color and look with violet or blue tinted colored contact lenses.

Colored Contacts for Light Eyes

Choose an enhancement tint that defines the edges of your iris and enhances your natural eye color, but in a more subtle way. And if you want to experiment with a different eye color while still looking natural, you might choose contact lenses in violet or blue, for example, if your natural eye color is gray.

Advice for Wearing Coloured Contact Lens

1. Never touch your eye or the contact lens without first washing your hands with soap and warm water. Rinse your hands well to remove any soap residue.
2. Never share your colored contact lenses with friends or family members. Sharing colored contact lenses can increase the incidence of eye infections. So be careful!
3. Do not continue wearing coloured contacts, if your eyes become red, irritated, painful, or if your vision is affected. Take them off immediately. When you remove your lenses, they must be cleaned, rinsed, and disinfected before they are worn again.
4. Take proper care of your lenses. Clean them regularly and use a fresh solution for them every day. Don’t substitute solution with water and do not use tap water to rinse colored contact lenses.
5. Use the contact lens solution the right way. Pour a little bit of solution in the palm of your hand. Then, use your finger to gently rub the lens to clean it.
6. Replace your colored contact lens your optometrist’s instructions. It is in your best interest to source colored contact lenses through your optometrist and have a contact lens exam and fitting to ensure the best fit and health for your eyes. Daily disposables are a great option, if you wear colored contacts only on special occasions.
7. Discard the lenses after you have used them for the recommended time frame.
8. Don’t sleep in lenses that aren’t designed for overnight use. Overnight wear increases the risk of infection and other complications. Also, coloured lenses don’t allow as much oxygen to the cornea, causing decreased vision.

Take Your Free M Test

When it comes to colored contact lenses, it’s best to get in touch with your optometrist to learn more about what your options are. If you’re interested in coloured contacts, take a walk-in appointment for an eye test with an optometrist at a MAGRABi store near you contact us ahead of time to schedule an appointment. Our optometrist will make recommendations with regards to reviewing the strength of your lenses and help you find the right colored contact lenses for your eyes.