Children and Contacts

As a parent of two teenage, bespectacled children, it didn’t take long for my kids to inquire about transitioning from glasses to contact lenses. I had the same question most parents ask: at what age is my child ready to safely wear contacts?

According to All About Vision, a child’s eyes can tolerate contact lenses at a very young age. There are even instances when some infants are fitted with contact lenses due to congenital cataracts or other eye conditions present at birth.

In a study that involved fitting nearsighted children ages 8-11 with one-day disposable contact lenses, 90 percent of the kids had no trouble applying or removing the contacts without assistance from their parents.

One way to determine if your child is ready for contact lenses is to take a look at how your child handles other responsibilities. Factors to consider include good personal grooming habits, ability to keep their bedroom and bathroom clean, and consistency following through with school work and household chores.

If your children need frequent reminders to keep things clean and maintain good hygiene practices, then sticking with glasses a little longer may be the way to go. However, if they handle these duties with ease, they might be excellent candidates for contact lenses.

Children tend to be great contact lens wearers if they accept the responsibility for them. They are typically highly motivated to wear contacts and usually adapt well to them. Children also are less likely to have dry eyes. And to be honest, we find that younger children sometimes follow instructions about contact lens wear better than young adults, so they may have fewer problems with over-wearing their contacts or contact lens care.

For more information on whether or not contact lenses are a good fit for your child, give us a call at 844-GO-TAVEL, or stop into one of our 22 Dr. Tavel locations to speak with our certified optical staff. Ready to schedule your contact lens fitting?

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