An Insight Into Colored Contacts...

The first time I saw someone in colored contacts, it was a sublime experience. The person's eyes have been transformed into a rich and mysterious shade of green, while the rest of their vision is unchanged. It's almost as if they're wearing an emerald aviator mask at all times. I decided then and there that I wanted to wear them myself - the only problem was that my eyes are hazel, not green like that person's. I had to find something else that changed my eyes from hazel to green. I searched the internet, but all I found was lists of contacts that change eye color - such as contacts with violet/indigo blue in them, [1] or contact lenses with a cool shade of green in them.

The truth is, there's no contact lens out there that noticeably changes eye color without making you look like a mutant from X-Men 2 . None of the stuff I found was going to work for me. I felt like a failure. I almost gave up on the idea of colored contacts. And then, right before I was about to admit defeat, I found a pair of contacts on ColorVue's website. They were called the "Eyes Wide Open" series, and they were just what I needed!

The product description of the Eyes Wide Open series says that they "...create an iris color that is different from the rest of your eye color" (ColorVue :: Products :: Eyes Wide Open). I thought it sounded like a scam. The only way that kind of change could happen is if you cut out a circle from the outer part of your eye, and put it in front of your natural iris. That doesn't sound right to me, and in any case, I don't want to spend the money for something as crazy as that. But then I contacted ColorVue directly and they told me quite clearly: "The eyes wide open colored contacts are custom made for you - not approved by doctors or dentists." The picture on their site also clearly depicts someone's natural iris with green colored contacts put over them - this proves that their product does not require cutting or removing an existing eye lens. ColorVue also said that the contacts are custom-made: "The colored contact lenses are custom made for you - contact us to get a sample pair in about 3 days."

There's also a warning on their website that the contacts are not approved by eye doctors or dentists. It says, "If you have any question or concern about your health, it is necessary to consult with your doctor or other health care provider." I'm sure it's just a legal disclaimer because the contacts aren't FDA-approved... but none of my eye doctors have ever tried to stop me from wearing colored contacts anyway (they just advised me against it because there's no way to know if the colors will be right for me). So I figured, if the contacts help me see better in my glasses, so what?

...

So recently I picked up a Twinkie-colored set of these contacts on eBay:

... and I put them in. It took me a couple of minutes to get used to the new color. My natural iris is still hazel, after all. The first time I wore them out to church, a stranger came up to me and asked if I was wearing colored contact lenses! It was hilarious - even though my natural eyes were the same color as my new ones, they looked totally different when I put on colored contacts. It's like my eyes were now wearing colored contacts themselves!

The first thing I noticed was how much clearer and sharper my vision got. I don't know if it was because the colored contacts rested on my eyeball (instead of far away on the lens of my glasses), or if the green color somehow helped me see better... all I know is that everything looks cleaner and crisper with them on. It's a minor effect, but it really impressed me. The clarity in these things is amazing!

So my eyes looked different, but other people could tell that I was wearing contact lenses (even though no one could guess what color they were). Did I feel like a freak afterward? A little bit, but only because it was a funny experience.

After I told my family and friends about the contacts, they all said that it was a cool look to experiment with color contacts. My grandma thought these were the coolest idea ever. When she saw me wearing them, she flocked around my eyes and took pictures of them to show her friends! My mom also thought they were cool, but she was confused - maybe something about how the green made everything look so clear.

I don't know if colored contact lenses will make you change eye color... But for me, it did help me see better in regular old prescription glasses - even without glasses I can see better than before. I don't know if the contacts are legal in my state (I live in NY, where the contact lenses are not allowed)... But I guess what matters more than whether they're legal is whether they're worth it. I paid $50 for one of the colored contacts set on eBay, so that means I saved about $300 over the cost of a year's supply of glasses. I think that's a pretty good deal, so I can see why people would be willing to buy these things.

But why would you buy them if you can get the same effect by wearing contact lenses? The reason is simple: It's fun. It's like a party trick. And it's something that you can do with people that you know - when you put on colored contacts, it looks like you're wearing a mask! So if I ever get tired of wearing glasses, I can always do this...

Speaking of masks, I've always been fascinated by Halloween - the costumes, the candy, the cool masks... But dressing up in costume has never appealed to me. It always seemed like drudgery.

Conclusion

So yeah, I'm going to keep wearing colored contacts. I'm pretty much set on it now. It's a big change from my glasses, but the improved vision is nice and easy to accept, even though it's really not necessary. Maybe next year I'll get a second pair of contact lenses for "enhancing" the green (maybe pink), or maybe a new method of making contacts at home... Whatever I try next time will probably be different than these.... But for now, this is my new favorite thing about being in my 20s.