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Eye experts once thought that the minimum age for a
contact wearer should be eighteen years old. Today however more and more
young people are sporting contact lenses to school and around the house.
There is a larger teen market for lenses than there ever has been.
Contact manufacturers are offering hip colors and making their lens
choices very fashionable which automatically appeals to most young
people.
With wearing glasses to school being a bit taboo, teens and
pre-teens are looking for ways to see clearly while still fitting in
socially. The biggest question in this whole scheme however, is if
contacts should be an option for kids. If you are a parent who is trying
to make this decision, consider these factors before automatically
giving in.
A) Is the child mature enough?
When
you think of getting your child contact lenses, you have to think first
about whether he or she is mature enough to handle them properly. This
is not just a question about whether or not they can put them in and
take them out themselves. It is also about whether or not they can
properly care for their eyes. When you use contacts irresponsibly, you
are putting your vision at risk. A child must be mature enough to follow
through with proper contact cleaning procedures, which includes washing
their hands before handling and cleaning the contacts as directed.
They
should also be mature enough to take the contacts out during the night
and to deal with any situations that may arise during the school day
with their contacts. The child should certainly be able to take the
contacts out and put them in by themselves, although this step may take
a little practice. It takes patience to learn this procedure however and
some kids get panicked when the contacts don’t come out as easily as
expected. As a parent or guardian, you have to honestly think about
these things before agreeing to allow your child to wear contacts.
B)
Is it cost efficient?
When you talk about children or teens
wearing contacts, you have to think about the financial obligation. The
fact is that children and teens are not going to be as “easy” on things
as adults are. Most of the time their things don’t last as long because
they are still learning about boundaries, and tend to press the limits.
When you are talking about expensive lenses, this can be a problem. You
should think about the cost that you would be losing if your child was
not responsible with their contacts. If you can, it is suggested to
choose disposable lenses for children. This ensures that if they lose
one set, you will not lose a great deal of money and they will have more
to use as backups. If your eye expert thinks your child could only wear
the most expensive contacts available due to a specific eye condition,
you might want to wait until they are a bit older before forking over
the cash.
C) Are they active?
Active children are probably
great candidates for contacts. When you parent an active child who wears
glasses you soon realize that you will probably replace their glasses at
least four times a year. Glasses simply get in the way when it comes to
youth sports. While you can wear eyeglass protectors, they don’t always
work as well as they should and tend to be bothersome to most children.
If your child is active, talk to their eye professional about the
possibility of getting contacts. You can choose to allow them only to
wear the contacts during sports, or you can allow them to wear them
whenever they feel the urge. Children should still meet the maturity
requirements however when it comes to wearing contacts.
Whether
or not your child or teen is ready for contacts is a decision that can
only be made on an individual basis. Each child is different and is at a
different maturity level, regardless of age. The best thing to do is to
talk to your child about the responsibilities of wearing contacts and
the serious consequences if they don’t take proper care of their
contacts. Then talk with your local eye professional about contact
options for your child. After gathering all of the information, make a
decision based on what you think is best for your child.
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