Maybe your child has mentioned contact lenses to wear at school or for one of their activities; or maybe one of their teammates or friends wears contact lenses; or given the pandemic and wearing masks, their glasses could be fogging up. How do you know if your child is ready for contact lenses? There is no specific age when contact lenses become appropriate for children. In fact, even infants and toddlers wear contact lenses for certain conditions. As far as when a child is ready for contact lenses, every person is different.
Here are FIVE signs that your child might be ready for contact lenses
1. Your child asks. If your child is unhappy with his/ her glasses, they will be much more motivated to take good care of their glasses. The drive to wear contact lenses should come from the child and no one else.
2. Your child does their chores without being asked repeatedly. Children who show signs of responsibility in all aspects of their lives tend to be good candidates. If not, it wouldn't hurt to wait a year or two.
3. Your child is clean and hygienic. Let's face it - it is basically expected that kids get messy during play; however, poor hygiene along with the use of dirty hands to insert or remove contact lenses could lead to eye infections.
4. Your child takes care of his or her glasses. It's no secret that glasses are delicate and expensive. If your child makes an effort to take good care of their glasses it is more likely that they will take care of their contact lenses too! If your child often leaves their glasses on the bus or in their desk at school, or has lost or broke their glasses more than once, or throws their glasses loose in their backpack without a case, it might be a good idea to hold off for awhile.
5. Your child is involved in athletics. Contact lenses are great for anyone active since they provide better vision and allow more options for protective eyewear, including sunglasses. It also removes the nuisance of glasses sliding down due to sweat or glasses breaking from any accidents.
If your child is ready to try contact lenses, call our office today to book an appointment. Our optometrists will find the best lenses for your child's eyes and assess the fit and vision of the lenses before taking the lenses home. Dailies are a great option and often recommended for first time wearers since they don't require solution, cleaning or storing; instead, throw them out and start fresh each day!
Our friendly staff will go over insertion, removal, and basic cleaning during the fitting appointment as well.
Original Article from Cooper Vision