Are Contact Lenses a Good Choice for Kids?
By Gretchyn Bailey; updates
and review by Dr. Gary Heiting
On this page:
The biggest concern parents have about contact lenses for
their kids may be: "Is my child old enough to wear contact lenses?"
There is no one answer. Physically, the eyes can tolerate
contact lenses at a very young age. Some babies are fitted with contact lenses
due to eye conditions present at birth. And in a recent study that involved fitting nearsighted children of ages 8-11 with one-day disposable
contact lenses, 90 percent had no trouble applying or removing the contacts without assistance from their parents.*
What parents are really asking could be: "Is my child mature enough to wear contact lenses?"
Only parents can
answer that question. If you're considering contact lenses for your child, take a look at
how your child handles other responsibilities. Does he or she take out the
trash, care for the dog, or follow through with school or other projects?
If children need frequent reminders for everyday chores, they may
not be ready for the responsibility of wearing and caring for contact lenses.
But if they handle such duties well, they may be excellent candidates for contact lenses.
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Did you know? Certain contact lenses may help slow
the progression of nearsightedness in children. | |
Children are naturally great contact lens wearers if they accept the
responsibility for them. They adapt well to wearing the lenses due to their
flexible personalities. Kids also develop fewer complications than adults.
Younger people usually heal faster and have stronger immune systems.
Plus, children often follow instructions about contact lens wear better than adults, so they
have fewer problems with overwearing the lenses or not using the
correct care solutions.
Contact Lenses Are Great for Sports
Sports and contact lenses are a great combination for
all athletes, including children. Contact lenses may be a safer
vision option than glasses for recreation use. If a child wears eyeglasses for sports, polycarbonate lenses
are a must. But their eyeglass frames are still vulnerable to breakage.
Many contact lenses,
especially gas permeable (GP) lenses,
offer better optics than eyeglasses. This leads to clearer vision and
better sports performance. A baseball player might see the ball a few
milliseconds sooner with crisp vision from contact lenses. And compared with eyeglasses, contact lenses also provide
better peripheral vision, which may also improve performance
in sports.
Controlling Nearsightedness
Myopia control
is another great reason for children to wear contact lenses.
If your young son or daughter is nearsighted, gas permeable (GP) contacts may be the best choice. According to several studies, GP contact lenses can
slow the progression of myopia in many children. Although the concept is still somewhat controversial, many
eye care practitioners
believe nearsighted kids who are fit with GP contact lenses will develop less myopia than those who wear glasses or
soft contact lenses.
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