Our 10 year old started wearing glasses this year and she has already asked me when I would let her wear contact lenses. I had no idea how to answer that question…I was not prepared for that one. Personally, I did not start wearing contact lenses until I was a freshman in college.
So, I was very thankful when LensCrafters provided us with the following information to help me make an informed decision.
Four Things to Consider Before Making the Switch from Eyeglasses:
If you have a child who wears eyeglasses, the time will inevitably come when he or she asks to switch to contact lenses. Although it may seem like something more suited for a teenager, children as young as 8 years old can safely wear contacts. They might not be a good choice for every child, however. It’s important to keep a few factors in mind before you make the switch from eyeglasses. Ask yourself these four questions to help determine if contact lenses are right for your child.
The first step in determining if your child is ready for contacts is to schedule an eye exam and speak with an eye care professional. Just like your child is still growing and developing, so are their eyes. Your eye doctor can help fit your child with the appropriate contact lenses and determine if they’re a good choice. Often, you can even schedule an eye exam online.
Before even considering contact lenses for your child, you need to make an accurate assessment of his or her level of responsibility. From proper cleaning and storage to safe insertion and removal, your child needs to understand all that comes with wearing contact lenses. Discuss this with your child and ensure he or she understands what will be required if they choose to start wearing contacts. If they’ve displayed a high level of responsibility in other areas, that’s a good indicator that they’ll be able to successfully take on the challenge of wearing contact lenses.
If your child is very active in dance, swimming or other physical activities, contact lenses may be a great supplement to the sports’ glasses or goggles they’re already wearing. Contacts provide uninhibited peripheral vision, so they’re ideal to wear while playing sports.
Kids are each other’s harshest critics. And, even with the coolest eyeglass frames, wearing glasses can open the door for teasing and unfriendly comments. If your child is being bullied or made fun of by other students, it’s most likely hurting their feelings and causing undue stress. Switching from eyeglasses to contact lenses can help quell this issue and result in a self-esteem boost for self-conscious kids. With an improved self-perception, your child will develop greater confidence in school, at activities and among peers.
Ultimately, the decision to switch from eyeglasses to contact lenses depends on each child. If you feel your child is responsible enough to deal with the extra effort that comes with wearing contacts, set up an eye exam to get a professional’s opinion and find the type of contacts that will work best for your child’s eyes.
BMWK – when do you think is the right age to allow kids to wear contacts? Have you allowed your kids to wear contacts?
Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” LensCrafters compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to post it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for the BMWK readers. I am actually a customer of LensCrafters and I have been wearing contacts since my freshman year of college ( and I am not even going to tell you how many years that has been.)
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