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When young children ask to wear contact lenses instead of glasses, parents may have a knee-jerk reaction to say “no” until they are older. With the thought of eye infections and lost contact lenses racing through their brains, it’s understandable that parents might think their children aren’t ready to put the lenses in their eyes. However, there comes a time when children will be able to wear contact lenses and that time is not based on age. It is based on the personality of each child.
Most ophthalmologists would say that between the ages of 11 and 14, children are able to wear contacts, according to The Center of Optometry. But there may be extenuating or medical circumstances where contact may be needed earlier than that age group or possibly even later, according to the publication. For this reason, when discussing contact lenses with parents, doctors will ask them to consider the child’s maturity, level of cleanliness, and the activities they participate in to correctly determine when children should wear contact lenses. of contact.
Here’s how to determine the right age for children to wear contact lenses.
According to a 2004 study, children as young as eight are physically able to put contact lenses in their eyes. But just because kids this young are able to put disposable lenses in their eyes without help doesn’t mean all kids are at the same level of readiness. As such, parents should determine at what age their children seem able to place the contact in their eyes without damaging the contact or placing it incorrectly multiple times.
According to Eye care with white salmon, if children express an interest in wanting to wear contacts, the younger they are when they learn to put them on, the less apprehensive there is about inserting the contact. And with most ophthalmologists willing to prescribe contacts at age 12 without hesitation, according to the publication, that may be an appropriate age to start wearing contacts. If parents think it could be done sooner, then conversations need to take place with doctors to discuss the pros and cons of contacts for young eyes and whether there will be any long-term problems with wearing contacts in early adolescence compared to that of being a teenager.
Look at the level of maturity
The maturity level of children should also consider the age at which children are ready to wear contacts. Indeed, if he is not mature enough to properly deal with contacts, eye infections can result.
According to All about vision, parents need to consider how often they need to remind their children to clean up after them, wash their hands, practice good personal hygiene, etc. If more reminders are sent to attend to these things than are done by themselves, children may not have the level of maturity to remember to properly store contacts, keep them clean, or prevent them. to tear. However, if the kids are doing all of this without fail, now might be a good time to equip them for contacts.
Consider the activities involved in
Depending on the sports played by the children, wearing glasses can interfere with wearing protective equipment. For this reason, contacts may be necessary to safely participate in the sport of choice.
According to FDA, when kids wear contacts for sports, they don’t have to worry if there is contact with another player that their glasses frames will break or the glass may crack or break.
Additionally, what children can see may be clearer than what they can see through their glasses, according to the publication. And because of this, kids can become more proficient in their sport when they wear contacts rather than glasses.
The amount of time children wear contact lenses varies for each child and their own circumstances. Before making a decision, it is recommended to sit down with an ophthalmologist and discuss the pros and cons of contacts so that everyone is on the same page about expectations for vision changes and responsibilities that arise from children wearing contacts.
Source: Optometry and Vision Science, White Salmon Eyecare, All About Vision, FDA, The Optometry Center
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