Red contacts are to the eyes what green dye is to the hair. Both give a look and color that is not meant for ordinary, everyday activities, or even your normal cocktail party. During the right occasions, however, they can have a very dramatic effect.

Colored contacts are used primarily for cosmetic and fashion purposes and have no vision correcting properties. There are four types of contact lenses: visibility tint, enhancement tint, opaque tint and light-filtering tint. Each of these types has a special purpose and its own advantages or disadvantages. A visibility tint is a very light blue or green color on the lens that does not change the appearance of the eye color. It is used to make the lens more visible when it is put on, cleaned or dropped. The enhancement tint, favored by persons with a light natural eye color, is darker than the visibility tint and changes the color of the eye by enhancing and highlighting its natural color. The opaque tint is a solid color on the lens that can give the appearance of the eyes a radical color change. The light-filtering tint is a special tint that enhances certain colors and mutes the surrounding colors. It is used specially in sports activities to make it easier to spot objects like golf balls.

Contact lenses are available in a wide range of colors and red contacts are one of them. Red is a passionate color. Of all the colors it is red that evokes the strongest reaction which is why it is used prominently in warning or danger signs. The color red symbolizes guilt, sin and anger, and is connected in many cases with blood and sex. The devil is often depicted in a red costume associating red with the ultimate evil. On the other hand, red is also associated with love and passion, witness the use of red roses as a symbol of love.

Although nothing can stop you from wearing red contacts anytime you feel like it, special occasions like Halloween or an office costume party would probably be more appropriate times. Some people, though, with a more daring fashion sense will use red contacts when it matches the rest of the wardrobe. Red contacts come in many types. Some are a solid red with shades ranging from scarlet to a light pink. Others could have stripes or specific designs.

For those who need colored contacts for dark eyes, red contacts of the opaque tint type must be chosen. This will ensure that the natural dark color of the eyes does not interfere with the red shade. Red contacts are also commonly used in the entertainment business where they are needed for special roles as in horror or zombie movies.