Introducing Children and Teens to Contact Lenses

Eyewear is much more of a fashion statement these days. If your child has recently discovered that they need glasses, they may be quite receptive to wearing certain frames and find it less of a hassle than perhaps you did growing up.

However, with eyewear comes the responsibility of taking care of them, especially making sure they do not get damaged. And let’s be honest: Children and teens play hard, and many engage in physical activities that risk glasses being easily destroyed.

The solution? Contact lenses. Yet these too come with added responsibility, but less to do with damage to a physical item and more to do with their physical eye health. So when is the ‘right’ time for your child or teenager to get contacts?

Timing and Training

These are the two most common deciding factors for the parent of a child with vision problems. Outside of their age range, what else decides the right time to introduce your child or teenager to contact lenses, and how do you do so?

Is your child or teen exhibiting responsible behavior for their age? Even if they fall under the category that your optometrist recommends for starting them on contact lenses, observe their level of personal responsibility regarding their own health and well-being.

Then, there is the adequate training they must undergo to fully appreciate the health-related responsibility behind wearing contacts. Many vision centers actually have a little ‘contact college’ for children and teens to demonstrate that they can successfully insert their contact lenses and care for them before their parents can purchase the lenses.

Child and Teen Contact Lenses - Pros and Cons 

Removing the possibility of broken glasses from your child or teen’s life may seem like an instant solution to a parent’s worry. However, for your child or teen to effectively utilize contact lenses, they must safely put them into their eyes.

This is one of the biggest drawbacks, limiting the start for most youthful contact wearers to the age range of 8 to 14 years old. Younger children may either forget to take them out, hurt themselves putting them in, or any other factor that may damage their eyesight further or cause long-term issues.

But for their mental health, contact lenses have a tremendous benefit! As mentioned above, glasses are more widely accepted as a fashion piece; yet, that is not always true. Especially in teenagers, self-esteem and confidence are essential, and contact lenses allow them to avoid frames if they prefer.

Your Dedicated Optometrists - New U Vision

If your child or teenager requires corrective lenses, consider New U Vision! With years of vision experience and a trusted team of optometrists, New U Vision can be your and your family’s dedicated vision center for your annual screenings, corrective lens fittings, and eyewear sampling.

If you are local to the McHenry, Illinois, area, be sure to visit NewUVision.com for more information and to schedule an appointment today!