It happens that most parents are caught in the uncertainty of whether or not contact lenses are safe for their kids. However, although the appropriateness of contact lenses for children depends on whether kids, in most general cases, are safe. But how do you graduate your child from glasses to contact lenses?
In fact, more than 3.5 million children in the United States under the age of 18 wear contact lenses. The reality is that there are practically no age limitations for children to wear contact lenses, as there is a natural compatibility with their eyes. However, the decision of whether or not your children should use contacts should be more dependent on the level of maturity (responsibility) of your child, and how well he or she could take care of their contacts. As flimsy as this may sound, contact lenses have been found to boost the self-confidence of the wearer, even contributing to increased performance in athleticism, as well as academics.
Despite the fact that contact lenses tend to blend well naturally with a children’s eyes, parents should always get a prescription from their child’s eye doctor. The importance of having contact lenses approved by an eye doctor is more pronounced if it is the first time the child would be wearing contact lenses.
An eye doctor would know well enough to decide the power of the contact lens and their fittingness for the health of child’s eyes. More than that, the doctor would be able to explain how to maintain contact lenses.
As for where to buy contact lenses, it is definitely not the safest to shop around for them on the internet. The reality is that a lot of these internet distributors lack FDA credibility, thereby raising the possibility of compromising the health of your child’s eyes.
Now, for kids that are starting the journey of contact lens, it would be more convenient if they start with daily disposable lens. For the most part, eye doctors today find it more convenient prescribing daily disposable lens for children just starting to wear contact lenses. Why? For one thing, disposable lenses don’t need rigorous maintenance. Your child can wear a new one every day, saving them the labor of having to clean them out on a continuous basis.
It is also important that you pay attention to how well your child transitions from glasses to contacts. Of course, when kids start out wearing glasses, they gain a sense of responsibility around maintaining them. This integrates a sense of understanding about keeping track of their ability to see clearly. That’s why if your child starts out wearing glasses first, and then graduates to contact lenses, they’ll have a better chance of being able to keep track of them, and appreciate them properly. Don’t forget, for kids just starting to wear contact lens, it is important they learn to plan ahead in the morning, as well as at night, to appropriately take care of their lenses (especially in the case when they are not using daily disposable lens) so as to make a good habit of it.
Transitioning from glasses to contacts can be quite challenging for the child. Because of this, patience by the parent is needed in order to make a proper go of it.
