One of the most hauntingly original special effects used in film can be seen in Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, where the main character, Richard Riddick, has silver eyes. In the movies the explanation given for the eyes was a special surgery. In real life obtaining the eyes was less complex, as all actor Vin Disel had to do was insert what are known as costume contact lenses into his eyes. Fortunately, one doesn’t have to be an actor to obtain this effect in their own eyes.
One type of costume contacts are known as ‘wild eyes.’ These lenses transform the eye to make it either look exactly like an animal eye or to decorate the iris with various prints. Examples of the former could be cat eyes, while examples of the latter could be wildfire eyes. In the case of the cat eye lens, the iris contains a colored portion and an ‘oval’ portion, typical of the pupil of a cat. The human pupil, while still visible if one looks into the eye closely, blends in with the fake oval pupil. For wildfire eyes, and designs like it, the artwork is centered around the pupil. The effect causes the pupil to actually be a part of the design, rather than just blended in, like it is with animal eye decorations.
Another type of costume contacts are those that glow in the dark. This is actually the type of contacts that were worn by Vin Disel when playing the role of Richard Riddick in his Pitch Black movies. Vin Disel’s glow in the dark contacts covered both the iris and the pupil, a glow in the dark contact which is harder to find for average individuals. Most glow in the dark costume contacts only cover the iris.
Where can one find costume contacts? There are several websites offering them. Examples include: JustLenses.com, Lensmart.com and VisionDirect.com. In order to purchase the contacts from them, one is required to enter in their prescription information. This is to ensure that the lenses shipped out are the right fit since lenses that do not fit well can cause eye problems. This can be as minor as scratching the eye to something as major as corneal infection. Severe corneal infections can result in having the eye removed. That is why even if costume contacts are only to be worn for a day, one must always make sure they get a prescription from their optometrist first before actually buying them. This includes individuals who possess normal eyesight.
Two of the most common types of costume contact lenses are wild eyes and glow in the dark contacts. Both types can make one the envy of any Halloween party, or maybe even in general, if a person wants to use costume contact lenses to make a bold fashion statement. With costume contact lenses everyone can become as mysteriously alluring as Richard Riddick.