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[Holierthanthou]

I'm surprised there's not a thread about this yet. (At least, i think not...) but the FDA has banned circle lenses or something? My parents went to get me a pair of red ones for christmas through an eye doctor and they said the FDA won't allow them to sell then any more. Does anyone know why that is? I'm worried I won't be able to convince my mom to let me order them online with this... So if someone can also help me find a way to explain to her that my eyes will be fine, that'd be great.

[vervv]

Circle lenses are (for the most part) not made in the US, which is the main reason. If the lens is a low-quality, knock-off lens then you risk damage to your eyes through malfunction of the lens or infection of the eye. Because the FDA cannot regulate the factories producing the lenses overseas, they cannot ensure the quality and are therefore not approved.

Another reason is that, when misused, they can damage the eye (but this is common with all lenses). Its easy to misuse them because they are easily bought without a prescription, meaning people without the proper training were sticking foreign objects in their eyes with no idea on how to take care of themselves. Circle lenses in general have a higher injury rate because they are larger and can "choke out" your eyes by not permitting enough oxygen to get in. Because they are larger, they also tend to irritate your eyes more, especially if you happen to have an astigmatism.

I work at one of the top Ophthalmology clinics in my area (NW Ohio) during the summer alongside some very amazing doctors. They have taught me much about eye health, and so I share a few tips with you. 1) Buy from a reputable seller. Pinkyparadise.com is a good choice. 2) Don't overwear them/sleep in them. This is basic contact lens use, but people do dumb things and wear their lenses every day. Like I said, due to the size, everyday use of circle lenses can cause damage. Most of the horror stories you read are because the person wore them too frequently. 3) When you get them, soak them for 48 hours in solution. The reason for this is that cheap colored contacts sometimes have the color come out of the lenses. The dye can burn eyes, but by soaking them you can see if the paint comes off or not. Pinkyparadise.com is well-known for having high quality lenses.

TL-DR: FDA banned circle lenses because they can be low-quality, dangerous, and accessible without a prescription which means a bunch of people didn't know what they were doing and messed their eyes up. Treat lenses like medical equipment and buy from a good seller and you should be fine (as long as you don't have a moderate to severe astigmatism).

[AshofRebirth]

Circle lenses are fine honestly. They aren't low-quality, if you buy them from the right place. They are just as dangerous as regular contacts. Actually. The circle lenses I buy are 10 times more comfortable than my regular contacts. I have not seen one case of circle lenses leading to injury that came from something that wasn't misuse.. You can do that with any regular contacts.
This is kind of old news. The reason it's not FDA approved is because most circle lenses come from overseas and therefore, well, can't be regulated by OUR FDA. But the countries that it comes from has their on "FDA" that approves their lenses.

Tl;dr: America is super paranoid. Make sure you get your eyes checked out by an eye doctor and then ask for a prescription. Take that prescription and go order circle lenses online. You won't be able to get them any other way.

[Holierthanthou]

Okay... The main reason i asked is that they had a brochure for circle lenses when my mom first went, and when she came back a few weeks later they said they couldn't sell them anymore o-o is there a way to order the lenses online through an eye doctor? My mom said she won't let me get them unless its through an eye doctor...

[ThakYuki]

As others have said, the FDA won't allow circle lenses to be sold in the USA is because they're made overseas. The FDA hasn't banned them, per se, but they have not approved them for sale in the States. Your eye doctor may have gotten circle lenses from their lens source, but they were not compliant with the FDA regulations, that may be why there was a brochure for them before.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to purchase circle lenses through an eye doctor, as since the lenses are not US FDA approved, the eye doctor can get in trouble for selling them.

[novaraven1]

if all you need are red lenses there are places in the US that legally sell them. They are a thicker type of lens (sometimes called hard lenses since all contacts used to be like this before softer and disposable lenses came along) usually called Theatrical Contact Lenses and usually much more expensive than circle lenses. 60$ a pair is a normal price range depending on whether you need a prescription added or not. They can cost as much as 400$ for the hand painted ones. They also are a higher quality for being entirely opaque in their designs (they have no colour blending effects, they cover your real eye colour completely)

coastalcontacts.com is a US seller that comes to mind and they will ask for your eye doctors info before selling to you, but they usually only carry them during halloween time. They sell crazy lenses and better quality ones too.

The manufacturer for theatrical lenses that I really like is Marietta Vision. They also always ask to contact your optometrist for your info first if you order directly from their website. There is a number there your optometrist can call for more info on their products.
http://www.mariettacontactlens.com/

I think if you talk to your optometrist and explain that you are looking to buy theatrical quality lenses for occasional use only they will be able to help you out a little better. Asking for circle lenses is the wrong way to go.

This in no way stops you personally from buying circle lenses from overseas sellers though. That is not illegal at all, just know that you're taking responsibility for your vision into your own hands when you do that.

also note that almost all contact lenses sold in the US are actually manufactured in Malaysia or other overseas countries. They don't make their own lenses here anymore, they just have quality control on them when they get here.