Theatrical contact lenses are sure to be noticed in actors playing characters in the latest major motion picture films. This is especially the case for sci-fi or fantasy films, where many times actors are portraying non-human individuals. There are other situations where a character is human but has other reasons why their eyes look differently. An example could be Halle Berry’s Storm character in the X-Men movies. Her theatrical contact lenses gave her eyes a glowing effect, which was necessary since her character had to use her eyes to control the weather. Interestingly enough, these types of contacts, along with dozens of other theatrical contact lenses are available for general public use. This article will describe two basic types of theatrical contact lenses: those designed to cover the iris, and those that cover both the iris and the sclera.
The most common type of theatrical contacts covers the iris. They are the same size and shape as normal lenses but they differ in that they contain some type of wild coloring, design pattern or ‘glow-in-the-dark’ coating over their surface. Some theatrical contacts covering just the iris can contain all three elements, creating an extremely profound effect. Vision-wise theatrical contacts may or may not contain corrective properties. Those that are designed for cosmetic purposes only are called ‘plano’. However, one should not be mislead into thinking that plano lenses can be worn like a piece of jewelry. They should only be purchased with a current prescription given by a licensed optometrist.
The second type of theatrical contacts covers both the iris and the sclera. The only portion of the eye that shows is the pupil, which is the black circular portion of the eye that expands or contracts based on how much light it comes in contact with. Since this type of lens basically covers the whole eye, it is much larger than lenses designed to cover just the iris. This means that these types of lenses might feel a little different than those just covering the iris, but the effect that they give is worth getting accustomed to the feeling. Examples of sclera theatrical contacts are those that ‘color-out’ the eye, (which in some cases can make even the pupil hard to see), those that make the eye look like a lizard and those that make the eye appear traumatized.
To purchase theatrical contact lenses one can go online through sites like Cosplaylab.com or they can make an inquiry of their optometrist. If a person decides to buy online, they will be required to give prescription information on sites that are legitimate. This is because there is a lot of controversy surrounding the sale of non-prescriptive theatrical contact lenses. People would get theatrical contact lenses that didn’t fit or, not viewing them in the same light as regular contacts, didn’t properly clean them. Some even shared their theatrical contact lenses with their friends. Indeed, if one does get theatrical contact lenses, they should view them no differently than any other medical device. Besides, getting theatrical contact lenses through an optometrist prescription doesn’t lessen the fun they provide. Doing otherwise would, as it is no fun having to go to the emergency room for a blinding eye infection.