Part of your Halloween costume could possibly make you blind.

According to Shawn Nielson, a representative of the Moran Eye Center, last year several patients were admitted for improper use of contact lenses with their Halloween costumes.

Damage from improper use can result in partial or complete loss of vision or a need for a corneal transplant if the problem is not taken care of soon enough, Nielson said.

Usually when someone needs contact lenses, they’re prescribed by an optometrist.

However, when picking contacts for Halloween, people are thinking of only using them once and don’t bother following the proper directions, Nielson said.

When people purchase lenses from swap meets, beauty salons or costume shops, or choose to make their own with products such as plastic and white correction fluid, they fail to realize that the lenses are not going to fit correctly, he said.

Therefore, the lenses may have bacteria-causing viruses from not being properly prescribed, cleaned or manufactured, he said.

Lenses that are proper for the eyes are made up of 50 percent material and 50 percent of either tears or solution made for lenses, he said.

Nikki Christensen, a U student, said she was “actually trying to find out where to purchase non-prescribed contacts that look like snake eyes.” She says she thought they would look cool while she dressed up as a boy scout.

Jessie Burnside