Taking Care of Your Eyes This Halloween Holiday
Halloween is coming, and for many, the spooky holiday means opportunities to dress up in costumes and pretend to be whatever one can imagine, from scary witches to astronauts, kitty cats to celebrities. It’s always exciting and fun to pretend to be someone else for a while, and to let your imagination run wild.
But while costumes are indeed fun, it’s also important to practice good safety habits while wearing costumes or using props. In particular, it’s important to be attentive to eye care and safety when dressing up for Halloween. Here are a few eye safety tips that are important to keep in mind before you put on that costume, or put one on your child.
1. Cosmetic Halloween Contact Lenses
Cosmetic contact lenses can be really cool. They can give you cat eyes, “x” eyes, or even make it look like you’ve got nothing but the whites of your eyes at all. But what’s not cool is getting those lenses from anyone other than a licensed professional with a prescription. Cosmetic contact lenses that come from a source approved by your Doctor are generally safe, although you should consult your Doctor for the specifics.
That being said, putting anything in your eyes that’s not designed to go in them under normal circumstances (like non-prescription lenses) can cause serious injury.
2. Scary Halloween Makeup
Makeup is typically better for your eyes than masks, which can poke your eyes or obscure your vision. If you plan to apply Halloween makeup near your eyes, make sure it is hypoallergenic makeup, and always follow the instructions for application and removal very carefully.
3. Props for Halloween Costumes and Your Eyes
Avoid pointed props like swords or tridents that could poke your eye and do serious damage. If you do use a prop like this, make sure the points are rounded off and made of something safe like plastic, and take care to always point it away from your eyes or the eyes of anyone around you. This is doubly important if you’re dealing with little ones whose costumes include similar props or accessories.
4. Maintaining Proper Visibility on Halloween
In addition to masks, be careful of any costume accessory that might block visibility, like a wig or an eye patch. If you will be out on the streets at night, it can also be a good idea to carry a flashlight to make sure you can see ahead of you and that cars can see you equally well.
5. Illumination
For the safety of others, such as children who might be coming to your home for trick or treating, make sure to keep your porch lights on so your porch and stairs are fully illuminated. Also, make sure that your stairs are clear of debris to prevent children from stumbling and potentially injuring their eyes or another part of their body.
Remember the Safety of Your Eyes This Halloween
Halloween can be a lot of fun, but it’s not so fun if someone sustains an eye injury, especially one that could have easily been prevented. To enjoy a safe and fun Halloween for yourself and for your children, be sure to follow the steps above and always keep eye safety in mind first when trick or treating or wearing costumes in general.