Lens Size Guide

Contact Lens Sizes Explained: 14mm vs 17mm vs 22mm

Contact lenses for costumes come in three main sizes, and the size changes everything: how they look, how they feel, how much you can see, and how much practice you need. Here is the honest breakdown.

Quick comparison

14 to 15mm: standard coloured lenses

The same size as everyday contact lenses. They cover your iris only, so your vision stays normal and insertion is the same as any regular lens. This is the right size for natural colour changes, most anime and cosplay looks, vampire reds, cat eyes and almost every costume that does not need the whites of the eye covered. If it is your first time wearing costume lenses, start here.

17mm: mini sclera

Noticeably larger than a standard lens. A 17mm lens covers your iris and part of the surrounding white, which makes the eye look unnaturally large. That in-between size is what makes people look twice without knowing exactly why. Vision is mostly normal but you will notice the edge. Insertion takes a little more care than a standard lens. A good step up if you have worn coloured lenses before and want something more dramatic without going full sclera.

22mm: full sclera

The largest costume lens made. A 22mm sclera lens covers the entire visible eye, whites included, in one uninterrupted surface. Nothing else creates the same effect.

Two things to know before you buy one:

You can see, but not well. Sclera lenses have a small pupil cutout. Vision through it is foggy and your side vision is reduced. Never drive or do anything that needs clear sight while wearing them.

They take practice. A 22mm lens is much bigger than your eyelid opening wants to allow. Most people need several attempts the first time. Practise a day or two before your event, never on the night.

Can you see through sclera contact lenses?

Partially. Every sclera lens we sell has a pupil cutout so light reaches your eye, but vision through the cutout is reduced and foggy, and peripheral vision is limited. Treat wearing them like wearing a costume mask: fine for photos, parties and short wear, not for driving, cycling or working.

How do you put in 22mm sclera lenses?

1. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly.

2. Rinse the lens with contact lens solution. Never use water.

3. Fold the lens slightly into a taco shape between clean fingers.

4. Hold your upper eyelid up with one hand and pull the lower lid down with the other.

5. Look upward and place the lower edge of the lens against the white below your iris.

6. Roll the lens up onto the eye, release your lids slowly, and blink gently.

7. If it creases or sits wrong, take it out and start again rather than pushing on it.

Give yourself ten minutes and good light the first time. It gets much faster with practice.

Which size should you choose?

• First costume lenses ever: 14 to 15mm.

• Worn coloured lenses before and want more: 17mm.

• Full transformation and willing to practise: 22mm.

• Not sure: buy the 14 to 15mm version of your look now and step up to the next event.

Shop by size

• Coloured contact lenses (14 to 15mm)

• Mini sclera lenses (17mm)

• Full eye sclera lenses (22mm)

All lenses are plano (non-prescription), CE marked, KFDA approved and made in an ISO 13485 certified facility. Maximum wear time is 8 hours a day. Dispatched the same day from Melbourne on orders before 1pm.

Written by Saleem Shafqat at Halloween Contact Lenses, an Australian coloured lens retailer operating since 2020. For advice about your own eye health, see a qualified eye care professional.