Gaze through geek contact lenses (pictures)

You're not stuck forever with the eyes you were born with. Contact lenses come in a variety of unusual colors and designs that can act as the finishing touch on your cosplay project. These "Avatar"-style lenses go great with blue body paint. They cost around $25 and can last up to 90 days. Remember, you'll need to visit an eye doctor and have your eyes checked before buying decorative contact lenses.

Some people have stars in their eyes. Some people have Hello Kitties in their eyes. These contact lenses from Japan Trend Shop feature a ring of Hello Kitty faces and hearts emanating in a violet circle from your iris. Naturally, they come delivered in a Hello Kitty contact lens case. They are designed to last about a month, depending on use. Check with your eye doctor before popping these onto your peepers.

These Batman contact lenses don't appear to be officially licensed merchandise, based on the product being named "Bat Crusader Contact Lenses." They turn your eyes into a bat-signal with yellow surrounds. They cost $25.42 and add a bit of superhero flair, as if Commissioner Gordon was shining his light into your eyes, calling you forth to do good for the city of Gotham. Your eye doctor can tell you if decorative contacts are a good idea.

You have a look of danger in your eyes when you wear special costume contact lenses with radiation symbols. Though the CamoEyes product description calls them biohazard lenses, these actually display the universal sign for radiation. These lenses could be a finishing detail on a post-apocalyptic zombie costume. Just be sure to get with an ophthalmologist before changing your eyeball look.

An international team of scientists recently published details on the creation of a contact lens that, when coupled with a special pair of glasses, offers telescopic vision. This sort of superhero power is a long ways off from commercialization, but could eventually be used to create a solution for people suffering from age-related macular degeneration.

Back in 2008, researchers at the University of Washington unveiled a prototype contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. The research into developing bionic vision created some fascinating imagery of the very futuristic-looking lenses. The lenses were tested on rabbits for short periods of time. Researchers hoped to eventually create a viewable display. Perhaps the next version of Google Glass will actually be Google Contact Lens.

Despite the lunar product description, these contact lenses actually look like a couple of solar eclipses happening on your eyeballs. They offer an orange flair around your iris with a black background to make the look really stand out. They would be a perfectly weird accessory to wear to your next job interview at a solar observatory. Just be sure to get your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist before wearing fancy lenses like these.

You can be twice as creepy as the Eye of Sauron with a pair of Sauron-style costume contact lenses. This "Lord of the Rings"-inspired set of eye embellishments should make any hobbit nervous. These lenses are available from many online sellers, but you'll want to check in with your eye doctor before picking up a pair.

Darth Maul from "Star Wars" was notable for his dramatic red and black skin, but also for his yellow and orange eyes. You can top off your wicked Darth Maul costume by getting the right look for the eyes with a set of Sith costume contact lenses. These $24.99 lenses can last up to 90 days once opened. You'll have to figure out the creepy teeth look for yourself. Before shopping for a set of novelty lenses like these, you'll want to get checked out by an eye doctor to make sure you can wear them safely.