5 Key Signs Your Child is Ready For Contact Lenses

Is your child expressing a desire to try contact lenses? Here’s how to know if they are ready for such a transition and how our Calgary family optometrist can help you make the safest and most informed decision about your child’s eye health.

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Contact lenses offer a very convenient and effective vision correction alternative to traditional eyeglasses. However, despite their benefits, they also come with certain risks, such as a higher incidence of infections and dry eyes, which is why it’s so important to talk to your Calgary family optometrist before introducing your child to contact lenses.

While most eye doctors encourage contact lens wear starting from between the ages of 11-14 years, wearing lenses has less to do with your child’s age and more about whether they are responsible enough to care for their contact lenses properly.

Remember, without the proper care, contact lens wear can lead to:

• Eye infections
• Eye irritation
• Corneal abrasions
• Blurred vision
• Swelling, pain, and discomfort

Comprehensive Contact Lens Fittings For Children in Calgary

At Blink Eyewear, our team of highly qualified Calgary family optometrists offer comprehensive contact lens fittings for patients of all ages. During this appointment, we can help determine whether or not contact lenses are a safe option for your child.

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BOOK A CONTACT LENS FITTING IN CALGARY

5 Signs Your Child is Ready For Contact Lenses

As your child becomes a little bit older, you may be dealing with frequent requests for contact lenses. But how do you know when your child is ready? There is no magic age when it comes to this transition, and visiting your Calgary family optometrist for an eye exam and advice is often the best way to make the most informed decision.

To get you started, here are 5 signs that your child may be ready for contact lenses:

1. Your Child is Asking to Wear Contact Lenses: While this may seem obvious, the truth is that a child who is unhappy with his/her glasses is going to be a lot more motivated to take good care of his/her contact lenses. This drive to wear them should come from your child and no one else.

2. Your Child Practices Good Hygiene: If your child doesn’t practice good oral hygiene, or he/she loves to get dirty, then you may want to hold off on the contact lenses. This is because poor hygiene when handling contact lenses can lead to serious eye infections.

3. Your Child Is Responsible: Does your child show signs of responsibility in all aspects of their lives? If so, they may be good candidates for contact lenses. If not, then you may want to wait a few more years. This is important because a child who is responsible will be more likely to take care of their lenses correctly.

4. Your Child Already Takes Care of Their Glasses: Glasses are expensive and delicate. If your child makes an effort to take good care of them (instead of leaving them on the bus, or throwing them into their backpack) the chances of them taking good care of their contact lenses are high.

5. Your Child is Athletic: Contact lenses are great for children who love sports because it allows for better vision and gives children more options for protective eyewear. In addition, your child won’t have to worry about their eyeglasses slipping down due to sweat, or getting broken glass in their face due to accidental impacts during a game.

The Risk of Contact Lenses: How to Keep Your Child’s Eyes Safe

Before you decide on contact lenses for your child, you must remember that they come with certain risks, such as eye infections and irritations. At the worst, they can even cause vision loss. When your child starts wearing contact lenses, make sure they know:

• How to properly handle and disinfect the lenses
• When to replace a worn-out pair
• NEVER to share or swap their contact lenses with a friend
• Never to use spit, tap water, or homemade non-sterile saline solution to clean their lenses
• To apply makeup after they put on the lenses, not before
• Never to sleep in their contact lenses
• To remove contact lenses at the first sign of irritation

HOW TO KNOW IF CONTACT LENSES ARE SAFE FOR YOUR CHILD

Call Today

To find out more about how our family optometrists can help determine whether or not contact lenses are the right choice for your child, visit one of our three branches, Crowfoot (67 Crowfoot Terrace NW, T3G 4J8), West Springs (1009 873 85 St SW, T3H 0J5) or Creekside (12192 Symons Valley Rd NW, T3P 0A3).

Alternatively, you can contact our team at our Crowfoot Branch (403-547-5417), West Springs (403-242-0999) or Creekside (403-516-2292).