Colored contact lenses are contact lenses that go on top of the eye to change the color of your eyes. The eye itself is formed from different parts, but the only one that is affected by contact lenses is the iris, the part that gives the eye its color.

The iris can be blue, green, brown, hazel, gray and many more variations of these shades. Contact lenses copy the same colors in an attempt to replicate the natural look of the eye.

The way colored contacts work is through a series of very small dots printed on their surface. Colored contacts are in fact made of a flexible material, most commonly Polyhema, which allows them to be soft to the eye. They can be worn for about 8 hours and can last up to three months depending on the brand and type of lens you choose. In addition, colored contacts have a very high percentage of water, up to 40% that makes them moist and able to stick to the eye for prolonged hours during the day. This allows them not to slide off and reveal the natural eye color hidden underneath the lens.

The series of dots that give color to the lenses are placed on the surface of the lens. These dots are so small and so closely placed together that you cannot tell the way they are designed when the lenses are placed on the eye. The final result is a well-blended rich color that looks natural on the eyes.

Contact lenses can come in one, two or three tones. These three types define the way the color is blended and achieved. One-tone lenses only display one color through the series of small dots. Two-tone lenses have two colors printed on them, one color on the edge of the lens, also known as the limbal ring, and another color in the middle. Three-tone lenses include three colors, one for the outer part of the lens and two lighter colors in the middle that look like an ombre effect and make your eyes look more profound.

Colored contact lenses are quite popular these days for a variety of reasons. You can wear them on special occasions, day-to-day events or even casually to go to a party. They almost work as makeup, meaning that you can change the color in an instant and match your contacts to your outfit for the day. There are a lot of colors available for this reason and you can experiment as much as you like before settling on one color.

Photo credit: Chiaralens.com