A long event can tempt you to keep costume contacts in beyond the point when they still feel comfortable. Plan for safe removal ahead of time and never push through irritation just to preserve the look.

1. Follow the wearing time set by your eye doctor and the lens instructions, even when the event lasts longer than expected. Do not sleep or nap in lenses made only for daytime wear.
2. Insert the lenses with clean, completely dry hands, and avoid touching them again unless you need to remove them. Water from sinks, showers, pools, and hot tubs should never come into contact with the lenses.
3. Bring a clean storage case and fresh disinfecting solution when wearing reusable costume contacts away from home. Never reuse old solution or add fresh solution to liquid already sitting in the case.
4. Use only lubricating drops approved for your specific lenses and recommended by your eye care professional. Do not use saliva, tap water, or an unapproved liquid to moisten a dry lens.
5. Remove the lenses right away if you develop redness, pain, discharge, sudden blurry vision, or worsening discomfort. Keep them out and contact an eye doctor promptly rather than trying to wear them through the rest of the event.

Costume contacts can feel unfamiliar at first, especially when you are learning how to insert, remove, and care for them. Knowing what to expect before wearing them can make the experience safer and less stressful.

• Decorative lenses still require a valid contact lens prescription and professional fitting, even when they do not correct your vision. They are not one-size-fits-all, and a poor fit can scratch the cornea or raise the risk of infection.
• Your eye care professional should check your vision through the lenses and show you how to insert, remove, and care for them. Do not assume that your glasses prescription contains the measurements needed for costume contacts.
• Daily-wear lenses must come out before sleeping, even after a late party or event. Napping in lenses that are not approved for overnight wear raises the chance of a serious eye infection.
• Reusable novelty lenses need fresh disinfecting solution and a clean storage case after wear. Tap water, bottled water, saliva, and old solution are not safe substitutes for proper lens care.
• Costume contacts should never be shared, even when they have only been worn briefly or are being used for the same character. Sharing lenses can transfer germs and increase the risk of corneal infection.
• Remove the lenses right away if you notice unusual redness, pain, discharge, worsening discomfort, or blurry vision. Keep them out and contact an eye doctor rather than putting them back in later that day.

Costume contacts should never feel painful or cause your vision to change. Remove them as soon as any of the following symptoms appear, and contact an eye doctor promptly if the problem continues or feels severe.

Eye Pain

Remove the lenses when you feel sharp, worsening, or persistent pain in or around the eye. Pain that continues after removal can point to a corneal injury or infection that needs prompt examination.

Redness or Strong Irritation

Take the lenses out when the eye becomes unusually red, itchy, burning, or increasingly irritated. Do not place the lens back into a red eye, even when the discomfort briefly improves.

Sudden Blurry Vision

New haze, reduced sharpness, or a sudden change in vision is not something to ignore during costume lens wear. Remove the lenses and seek medical guidance rather than cleaning them and trying them again.

Sensitivity to Light

Light sensitivity can develop when the cornea is inflamed or infected. Take the contacts out if normal indoor or outdoor light suddenly feels painful or difficult to tolerate.

Unusual Tearing or Discharge

Excessive watering, mucus, or other discharge can signal more than routine lens dryness. Remove the lenses, leave them out, and arrange an eye examination as soon as possible.

No, you should not wear novelty contacts without a valid contact lens prescription, even when the lenses have no vision-correcting power. All decorative contacts are regulated medical devices because they sit directly on the cornea and must fit the size and shape of your eyes. A contact lens exam checks that fit and gives you the correct lens measurements, which are not included in a standard glasses prescription.

Buying lenses from a seller that skips prescription verification can leave you with a poorly fitting or unregulated product. A lens that is too tight, too loose, damaged, or made improperly can scratch the cornea, reduce oxygen reaching the eye, and raise the risk of infection or vision loss. Choose a seller that requires a current prescription, then follow the wearing, cleaning, and replacement directions given by your eye care professional.

Make the oversized top hat the center of the costume, then build the hair and face around it rather than treating the hat as a last-minute add-on. The film's costume design treated the hat and bright orange hair as a connected visual feature, so a curly wig, tall hat, wide orange brows, and pale face makeup will make the green lenses feel like part of the full character rather than a separate effect.

Finish the outfit with accessories that look collected rather than perfectly matched, such as a colorful scarf, patterned bow tie, different gloves, sewing thimbles, ribbons, pins, or uneven layers of jewelry. Mixing prints, textures, shapes, and slightly clashing colors fits the character's chaotic style, but keep one or two shades from the eye makeup or lenses elsewhere in the outfit so the final look still feels connected.

About Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Storing Contact Lenses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/about-cleaning-disinfecting-and-storing-contact-lenses.html. Published May 27, 2025. Accessed July 16, 2026.

About Decorative Contact Lenses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/about-decorative-contact-lenses.html. Published May 27, 2025. Accessed July 16, 2026.

Colored and Decorative Contact Lenses: A Prescription Is a Must. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/colored-and-decorative-contact-lenses-prescription-must. Published October 24, 2022. Accessed July 16, 2026.

Colorimetry, 4th Edition. International Commission on Illumination. https://cie.co.at/publications/colorimetry-4th-edition. Published October 24, 2018. Accessed July 16, 2026.

Decorative Contact Lenses for Halloween and More. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/contact-lenses/decorative-contact-lenses-halloween-and-more. Published October 22, 2024. Accessed July 16, 2026.

Eye Infections From Contact Lenses. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/contact-lens-related-eye-infections. Published June 25, 2026. Accessed July 16, 2026.

From Sketch to Still, a Visual History of Alice in Wonderland's Costumes. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2011/01/from-sketch-to-still-a-visual-history-of-alice-in-wonderlands-costumes. Published January 28, 2011. Accessed July 16, 2026.

Novelty Makeup. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/novelty-makeup. Published November 22, 2022. Accessed July 16, 2026.