This page is designed to answer the most common questions that parents may have for their child who may benefit from contact lenses.
A Parent’s Guide to Contact Lenses for Children
Are contact lenses safe for my child?
At Vision Direct we have a professional and responsible approach to caring for the eyesight of all customers, including children. With their bodies developing constantly throughout their childhood it is an entirely reasonable question whether contact lenses are safe for children. Parents should be reassured that, even from an early age, children's eyes can tolerate lenses and it is not unknown for very young children to be fitted with lenses to help them to overcome certain conditions of the eye.
What factors should I consider?
Whatever the age of the patient, it takes time and patience to adjust to wearing contact lenses for the first time and it is important that lenses are cared for properly. If you are considering whether your child should wear lenses then you need to take into account both of these issues and decide if your son or daughter is prepared to wear them properly and also to take care of them.
What if my child doesn't want to wear contact lenses?
While contact lenses may be a convenient and aesthetically-pleasing solution for many adults who dislike wearing glasses, it should be borne in mind that children do not necessarily share this view. Many young people are happy to wear glasses in order to correct defective vision and may not develop an enthusiasm for wearing contact lenses until much older, if at all. It is therefore important not to force a child to wear contact lenses if it is not what they want. Instead, it is preferable for the motivation to do so to come from the child as it is more likely that he or she will have the commitment to look after the lenses independently.
At what point a child becomes mature enough to insert, remove and care for contact lenses is a subject of debate but studies have demonstrated that children as young as 8 can do so safely. More importantly, in one study children in the 8-12 age range generally agreed that they would like to continue to wear contact lenses and thought they were easy to take care of.
What benefits can contact lenses bring for children?
As well as boosting self-confidence, children who wear contact lenses that block the sun's harmful UV rays may experience lower incidences of related eye problems in later life such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Therefore not only is wearing contact lenses entirely safe for children but there may be persuasive arguments for doing so in terms of protecting their vision in the long term.