Eye Health Isn’t Scary: Halloween Safety Month

Wear Costumes That Don’t Harm Your Eyes

One of the most exciting parts of Halloween is choosing the perfect Halloween costume. Still, ensuring your costume doesn’t compromise your eye safety is essential. You and your family should avoid costumes with sharp or protruding elements that could accidentally come in contact with the wearer’s eyes. You’ll also want to make sure that it can’t potentially hurt others’ eyes. A costume must have more than enough visibility if it has a mask. Children need to be able to see while walking or crossing streets. If the costume involves decorative contact lenses, ensure they are FDA-approved and adequately fitted by an eye care professional to prevent eye irritation or damage. Be careful with wigs and hats. If they do not fit properly, they might slip over your or your children’s eyes and block your vision.

Be Careful with Makeup

Face paints and makeup are popular parts of many Halloween costumes, but it’s crucial to use eye-safe products. You should avoid applying makeup directly to the sensitive areas around your eyes. With so many cheap makeup and paint products out there, we strongly recommend using high-quality products. It’s best if they are hypoallergenic. You’ll want to avoid using anything that may cause irritation or allergies. If you need to choose between face makeup or a mask, makeup is usually a safer choice because there is less of a chance of it obscuring vision.

Be Careful with Costume Props

Many costumes require fun props such as swords, baseball bats, brooms, and wands. As fun, as those props can be, leaving those out of the costume is always safer. If you can’t convince your kids to leave the props at home, talk to them about safety. They should not swing their props or attempt to hit anybody with them. It’s also easy to accidentally hit somebody. Most of those props are sharp and pointy and can do much damage if they hit an eye.

Use Lights When Outside

Using lights on Halloween night isn’t just about looking spooky. It’s about making sure the whole family is safe. Use flashlights, glow sticks, or reflective tape on costumes and accessories to make yourself and your group more visible to drivers if you’re outside trick-or-treating. Proper lighting makes trick-or-treating easier and safer and prevents trips and falls in dimly lit areas. We also recommend properly illuminating your house and walkways so families and trick-or-treaters can see when they visit your house.

Decorate Your House Safely

One of the best parts of Halloween is decorating your house for all the trick-or-treaters. That said, avoiding hazards that could lead to eye injuries is essential. Don’t place decorations in pathways or areas where somebody might trip while walking to your front door. Try not to include sharp or pointy decorations, but if you decide to use them, they should be out of reach of children. Avoid, or keep glass decorations to a minimum. Broken glass at night is a massive cause for concern. On top of decoration safety, keeping your porch light on is also essential.

Watch Children Carefully

For parents, supervising young children during Halloween festivities is incredibly important. Keep a watchful eye on little ones to prevent them from running into hazards or having accidents. If your child plans to wear a costume with a mask, ensure it doesn’t obstruct their visibility, and they can see clearly.

Stay Hydrated

While it might not seem directly related to eye safety or Halloween, staying hydrated is vital for your overall health, including eye health. Halloween can be tiring and often involves walking around neighborhoods and attending parties. Dehydration can lead to dry eyes and discomfort, which is made worse by wearing costumes or makeup. Ensure you drink enough water throughout the festivities to keep your eyes and body hydrated and healthy.