Question: Are those “cat eye” lenses safe to wear? They’re for sale all over.
Answer: No, not if you bought them without a prescription, according to the American Optometric Association. The optometrists group warns Halloween revelers against wearing unprescribed contact lenses because they can cause serious problems and even permanently damage the wearer’s eyesight.
The group emphasizes that people should only wear contacts fitted for them by an optometrist after an eye exam, whether the lenses are for vision correction, purely decorative or part of a spooky Halloween costume. All contact lenses are classified as medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and require a valid prescription, it says.
Buying contact lenses from questionable sources can result in allergic reactions, bacterial infections and other serious problems, according to the AOA, which is concerned about the wide availability of unprescribed Halloween contact lenses for sale online and elsewhere.
Also, never share or borrow contact lenses, even if they were originally obtained with a prescription. This can spread germs.
And, the AOA warns, always remove contact lenses at bedtime. Your eyes need a break, on Halloween and every night.
Q: Thanks for the information on who to call to report the problem, but you also should have said how motorists should react when they come upon an intersection where the traffic light is out. It happens pretty often, and some drivers don’t seem to know what to do.
A: Treat the intersection as a four-way stop. Yield to traffic that arrives at the intersection before you. If you and another motorist arrive at the same time, yield to traffic on your right, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
Be extra alert for bicyclists, pedestrians and other motorists, not all of whom might stop.
Once police arrive to direct traffic, follow their directions.
As we stated Monday, report malfunctioning traffic lights to the city Department of Transportation’s Traffic Signals Division at 768-8387 during regular working hours. After hours, call 911 and ask for the police.
Q: What is STEAM? They mention it at my grandchild’s school, and I am embarrassed to ask. I am now raising my grandchild unexpectedly; it has been years since I have been in the school setting.
A: STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. It’s a comprehensive educational philosophy and curricular framework that integrates the arts (including design) into the more familiar STEM. The STEAM approach shows how all subjects are related — at school and in the real world.
Q: Can a person get scabies more than once?
A: Yes. News reports about cases at an Oahu elementary school have several readers asking about scabies, which is “a parasitic infection of the skin caused by a mite, Sarcoptes scabiei. (See story below.) The mites burrow under the skin to live and lay eggs, which causes intense itching, especially at night,” according to the state Department of Health.
Mahalo
You might think that once your own kids grow up and out that Halloween loses its appeal. But that’s not true for this kupuna! Throughout the years I have enjoyed seeing the neighborhood children grow up, to the point that now many have children of their own. Friendly, neighborhood trick-or-treating is a wonderful tradition, and I hope it continues forever. You never know how many kids will turn up these days, with all the competing events, especially at the malls, but I still buy plenty of candy to give out each year. I look forward to it and can’t wait to see everyone. Happy Halloween! — Kaimuki kupuna
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
