Pulse
Terri Theobald
models a pair of wild
novelty contacts at
Rainbow Optics'
campus location.
Mark McCambridge
Emerald
Novelty lenses have come both into
vogue and technological feasibility
in recent years, but wearers should
be aware of proper fit and care
Jacquelyn Lewis
Pulse Editor
If the old cliche stands true, and the eyes re
ally are the windows to the soul, then fashion
savvy teens and college students are sporting
some exotic curtains.
Novelty contact lenses have been a stylish
accessory since the late 1990s, but recent
technological advances have made them an
even more attractive addition to a wardrobe,
especially for costumes and special occasions.
Thanks to companies like GIBA Vision and
Cooper Vision, the lens wearer can now look
like a dragon or a cat. Wearers can make a dif
ferent kind of fashion statement by donning
lenses with flames on or contacts that make
the eye sockets appear as creepy, gaping voids.
Rainbow Optics optometrist Dr. Paul Roline
said these types of lenses are most popular
with college-age customers. Roline said CIBA
Vision, which offers the popular brand Wild
Eyes, has the largest assortment on the map.
The company launched its newest novelty
lens, GlitterEyes, on Nov. 12 —just in time for
the holiday season. Actual glitter is encapsu
lated inside the contact lenses, intended to
give eyes a unique sparkle.
Roline said Rainbow Optics, located at 766
E. 13th Ave., carries a large assortment of Wild
Eyes, but the office can order any type of lens
the customer desires.
“We can get anything,” Roline said.
Novelty lenses can be purchased for any
where from #25 to hundreds of dollars, and
they are becoming increasingly easy to obtain.
They can be an interesting and fun addition to
any outfit or costume.
However, eye care professionals say cus
tomers need to know that contacts are used for
medical reasons and do carry risks, especially
if they are not fitted properly.
Oregon Health & Science University
joined the Food and Drug Administration in
late October in warning customers against
purchasing the lenses without a prescription
and professional fitting.
“People often buy these contacts off the In
ternet, or at flea markets, makeup counters, or
hair and nail salons,” Casey Eye Institute di
rector of Contact Lens Services Mark Andre
said in an OHSU press release. “They’re a lot
of fun, but usually buyers just don’t know how
to properly wear or care for them.”
Dr. William Mathers, OHSU professor of oph
thalmology, said contacts purchased at places
other than a professional optometrist’s office
pose a potential danger because these types of
lenses aren’t approved by the FDA. Unlike CIBA
Vision, Cooper Vision or other lenses purchased
at an eyecare specialist, these might be import
ed from foreign countries, and many are not
Turn to Eyes, page 8
Curator Boese puts a fun new spin on hoaxes, trickery
In his new book, UCSD
graduate student Alex Boese
details classic pranks, lies,
tricks and their history
Book review
Jacquelyn Lewis
Pulse Editor
Was the toilet really invented by
Thomas Grapper? This is just one
of the many burning questions ex
plored in “curator” Alex Boese’s
new book, “The Museum of Hoax
es: A Collection of Pranks, Stunts,
Deceptions, and Other Wonderful
Stories Contrived for the Public
from the Middle Ages to the
New Millennium.”
Boese, a graduate student at the
University of California at San
Diego, has compiled a veritable
mountain of hoaxes, tricks and lies.
The collection also includes re
quirements a falsity must satisfy to
be considered a hoax.
The shams and their histories are
displayed in thematic and chrono
logical order, from before 1700 to the
present. Boese pays homage to
schemes as well known as Milli
Vanilli and crop circles to more ob
scure follies, including Mary Toft, a
woman who literally gave birth to
rabbit babies in 1726. The “babies”
actually turned out to be just rabbit
parts, and how she “gave birth” to
them is truly gag-worthy.
“The Museum of Hoaxes” also
gives a nod to celebrated hoaxers
throughout history, such as
Jonathan Swift and Benjamin
Franklin.
Amidst the trickery, Boese sprin
kles the pages with snippets of
April Fool’s Day history and classic
holiday pranks. The author also in
cludes photographs wherever pos
sible. The jackalopes — rabbits
with horns — and tail-tale post
cards depicting ears of corn larger
than a house, are a few of the fun
niest. Boese also included a gullibil
ity test, aimed at making even the
most cynical reader feel duped.
Boese refers to his Web site,
Summer in
Paris 2QQ5
thf AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY
of PARIS
Two 5-week Summer Sessions:
I. June 2-July 8, 2003
II. July 12-Aug. 14, 2003
Two 3-week Sessions
of French Immersion:
I. June 2-June 25, 2003
II. July 12- Aug. 1, 2003
Other Special Programs
Tel: (33) l 40 62 06 14
Fax: (33) I 40 62 07 17
or in the U.S.: (303) 757-6333
summer^aup.edu www.aup.edu
www.museumofhoaxes.com, sever
al times. The site contains an even
more vast array of schemes than
the book.
In the book’s afterword, the “cura
tor” reveals that his museum,
though not a hoax itself, is elaborate
ly designed to serve a higher purpose
than sheer entertainment.
“Instead of examining evidence
internal to a claim (i.e., how reason
able it sounds), it’s far better to look
f
at evidence external to the claim:
Where it came from, how it was pro
duced, and why. This is the ultimate
lesson of the Museum’s Gullibility
Test,” Boese wrote. He said the best
way to avoid being hoaxed is to fol
low the above advice.
Or readers could simply perform
the magic medieval truth spell in
cluded in the book: Just “place the
heart and left foot of a toad over a
sleeping person’s mouth.” Presum
ably, the sleeper will tell the truth
when they awaken — hmm,
maybe this is where the term
“cough it up” originated, because 1
suspect there might be some vom
iting involved.
Highly recommended, this satisfy
ingly complete compilation is avail
able at bookstores now.
Contact the Pulse editor
atjacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com.
2 Bedroom Apartments in
Spencer View and Westmoreland and
Houses in East Campus are now available!
If you are a UO student AND
The parent/guardian of a child OR
A graduate student OR
At least 21 years old
You are invited to apply!
Log on to www.housing.uoregon.edu or
Stop by the University Housing office
(Walton Complex on the corner of 15th and Agate)
• •
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