Is Your Teen Ready For Contacts?
Contact lenses may be an excellent choice for your teenager, based on their lifestyle, fashion preferences, and level of responsibility. For more active teenagers, contact lenses may be a smart idea.
Many teenagers prefer contacts over the traditional model of glasses. Contact lenses may be an excellent choice for your teenager, based on their lifestyle, fashion preferences, and level of responsibility. For more active teenagers, contact lenses may be a smart idea. During team sports or exercises, contacts are easier to manage and present less threat to the eye than normal glasses can, especially in relation to sports injury. Contacts may also be a good fit for your teenager if they care about fashion or will feel more confident in them. While some teenagers prefer their glasses, others don’t feel as confident in them. Consider contacts for your teenager from an aesthetic standpoint, especially if they would feel more confident and comfortable in them. Finally, contacts can be good for teenagers if they are willing to take responsibility for what comes along with wearing contacts instead of glasses.
Contact Lens Eye Exam in North Austin, Texas
While there are many advantages to contact lenses for your teenager, there is also a significant amount of responsibility involved in the choice that parents should be aware of and hold their teenager accountable for. Much like glasses, contacts must be treated with care and prescriptions must be current or negative ramifications to the eye may occur. As their bodies and eyes are still maturing and changing, regularly scheduled consultations are mandatory to ensure your teenager’s prescription is up to date, and serve them as best as possible.
Tips For Teens With Contacts:
– Do not deviate from the wearing schedule your optometrist provided
– Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water before inserting and removing your contacts
– Contact lens rinse is the only acceptable solution to clean your contacts with
– Contact lens rinse is NOT reusable.
– Pay extra attention to what your doctor tells you about swimming and showering in your contacts.
– If you’re experiencing irritation from your contacts, always take them out.
– Do not sleep in your lenses (unless they are extended wear).
– Do not wearlenses that were not prescribed by your eye doctor
– Never buy cosmetic contact lenses without a prescription from your doctor
Frequently Asked Questions – Contact Lenses for Children
Q. At what age do you recommend children start with contact lenses?
A. As an optometrist, I believe that contact lenses can be worn at any age. However, it is important to remember that contacts are a privilege and can be revoked if they are not well taken care of or if your teenager is not certain contacts are best for them. Contacts for your teenager come with a financial and medical responsibility and unfortunately, there have been cases of teenagers ignoring these responsibilities and damaging their eyes as a consequence. Therefore, I recommend that we wait to try contacts until both the patient and parents are on board with the treatment plan. In my experience, if a teenager does not want contacts, they will most likely be uninterested in the additional responsibility that comes along with them such as changing them, keeping them clean, and also attending regular appointments and eye screenings. However, the parent(s) should also agree to assume the financial responsibility of fit, follow-up, and materials as well. As a family, it is wise to be on the same page about your teenager’s maturation and whether or not they can handle contacts on their own.
Q. Can kids wear contact lenses?
A. Contact lens wear is not a matter of age. Many infants and toddlers wear them; some teenagers shouldn’t. In other words, every case is different. While it may be beneficial for some teenagers to wear contact lenses because they can slow the progression of nearsightedness, others would be better off remaining in glasses. Generally speaking, children and teens would prefer contacts over glasses and most optometrists have reported positive results. However, it is important to remember that no eye doctor will prescribe contact lenses for children or teenagers who aren’t ready for them and willing to accept the responsibility, or simply do not have a good reason for wearing them.
Do you have questions about eye care for your teenager? Contact King and Rose Optical to book a consultation and discover what’s best for your family today.