With Halloween round the corner, shops are abuzz with great costumes and some are decidedly scary. However, most costumes overlook an important facet of personality that conveys a dramatic range of emotions with a single 'look'. We are talking about your eyes. No scary costume will work if the eyes are also not properly 'dressed up'. A real ghoul will scare the jeepers out of your friends and family members only if the eyes look actually ghoulish! Theatrical or special effects lenses are just the products to have a fun-filled Halloween.

These are special lenses, an offshoot from the normal contact lenses, which come in varied styles and colors. Picture yourself as 'Lestat' the Vampire, or the Werewolves and Vampires depicted in the 'Blade' franchise. Or perhaps you fancy yourself as 'Violet' or for that matter the good old Dracula. The 'white out' look popularized by the 'Evil Dead' series of movies as well as the various 'Exorcist' horror flicks are a great choice.

The special effects lenses industry caters for all such types and even advertises them under the name of favorite ghoulish characters. You may want the traditional 'witch' or wizard look, aim for that 'wild animal' look or try Goblins and other mythical character lenses. Other really chilling eye lenses you don't want to miss are the Banshee, Black Wolf, Bezerker, Starburst, Zombie, Demon Eyes, Whiteout, Blood Red, Manson, Mummy, Cat eyes to name a few.

Wild Eyes and Crazy Lenses are some of the major brands out there in the market. A click of the search button will reveal many more brands with a huge library to choose from. At most shops selling special effect lenses, matching Halloween costumes are also available: a one-stop shop with all you want under one roof. You could also 'mix-n-match' and create your own scary look. For example, combining a vampire costume with cat eyes or a werewolf with a 'whiteout' mummy could give a real fright. If you buy the entire package, you may be in for special bargains too. The price of lenses varies from $35 to $100 depending upon the quality.

It is important to choose the right pair because these lenses, unlike normal lenses, cover the whole eyeball. These special lenses are either opaque or tinted and have a small aperture in them through which the wearer can see the outside world. So once you have a pair fitted it becomes difficult to move the eyeballs so skip the strain and take these out no later than three hours after you go on a Halloween rampage. Also to buy them you will need to keep a prescription handy, hence a proper eye care professional's advice is required when trying them on for the first time.

As a general rule those with significant vision problems are advised not to wear these lenses. But then, fear not: even if you do have minor eye problems you may be able to wear these lenses but consult your doctor just to be sure. In any case most shops selling these specialty products have eye care professionals stand by to help you try them out. So this Halloween, pick those realistic, scary special effect lenses and go Happy Hunting. Trick or Treat!