Patient: "Yeah...Do people still wear those?  I mean, I don't want to look crazy."

Yes, people do still wear color contact lenses, though their popularity has waned over the past 5 years.  Color lenses can offer anywhere from subtle enhancement of your natural iris hue to striking and dramatic chromatic changes.  They are popular in both men and women; and even in people who don't need contact lenses for corrective vision.  With all that said, as an optometrist, color contact lenses aren't exactly what I am going to most recommend.  The lenses have substantial drawbacks, including:

1) Discomfort and Dryness:  Color lenses aren't made with the thinnest, most oxygen permeable materials.  They are very prone to comfort issues and for patients with dry eye issues, I NEVER recommend color lenses as an option.  They will be more uncomfortable than practically any other lens on the market that was manufactured in the last 10 years.

2) Price:  Color lenses aren't inexpensive, and because of that, people are prone to thinking they can just put them in a case and keep them for years at a time.  DO NOT DO THIS.  Color contact lenses are just like any other contact lens.  They have a limited shelf life.  Most lenses on the market are limited to a 2 week lifespan.  That means you have to throw them away every 2 weeks after you open the package, whether you wore them 14 times or 2 times.  

3) Fake Appearance:  There are 2 type of color contact lenses: opaque and "enhancer".  Most lenses are "opaque" meaning they have a ring of color visible in the lens and then a fake "pupil" in the center.  If you are in bright light, your own pupil will constrict, allowing everyone to see your real pupil and real iris color through the center of your color contact lens.  Obvious this is distracting from the color change illusion.  "Enhancer" lenses are a solid color throughout, but the drawback here is that if the lens is larger than your own iris, then the ring of color will be visible on the white of the eye as well, creating an obviously fake appearance.

Still interested in color lenses?  Only a few prescription lenses are out there for purchase, but here are your options:

CIBA VISION

Ciba offers the widest array of color lenses on the market and Freshlook is my go to color lens option:

DAILY DISPOSAL

FreshLook 1 -Day:  Rx from plano to -8.00.  Limited color selection:  blue, green, hazel, gray

2 WEEK DISPOSAL

FreshLook Colors, Colorblends, and Dimensions:  Rx from +6.00 to -8.00

FreshLook Colorblend Toric: The ONLY astigmatism color option on the market!

         Rx: NO plus powers, cyl up to -1.75 and limited axis available

         Limited color selection: blue, green, gray, hazel

MONTHLY DISPOSAL

Focus Monthly Softcolors: Rx +6.00 to -8.00, Limited Colors: Evergreen, Royal Blue, Aqua

        Really only usable with light eyes

NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Durasoft Colors and Durasoft Color Toric.  ALL Durasoft lenses are no longer being produced.

ACUVUE:  Update--as of March 31, 2013 all Acuvue 2 Colors are being discontinued!!!

2 WEEK DISPOSAL

Acuvue 2 Enhancers  -- better for light eyes; subtle enhancement

Acuvue 2 Opaque  --- more common type of color delivery

                     Rx: +6.00 to -9.00