17 Sep Are Contact Lenses Safe for Children?
Are Contact Lenses Safe for Children?
As many adults already know, contact lenses are so much more conducive to an active lifestyle than glasses. Also, with the need for masks due to the pandemic, contact lenses give us fog-free vision that we don’t always have with glasses. Many parents may wonder if they can provide the same type of relief from glasses for their children. Contact lenses are safe for children and can have some added benefits for an active child.
When your child is prescribed glasses by their optometrist, it is important that your child has a pair of glasses made with their current prescription. If your child is very active in sports, especially in contact sports such as basketball or soccer, it is important for your child to have a pair of protective sports goggles and not to use their everyday pair while playing sports. This would be a good point to discuss with your child if they would like to wear contact lenses. It is important to make sure that the child is motivated and willing to learn. Once it has been determined that contact lenses are a good option for them, another appointment can be made with their optometrist.
The contact lens exam will be a seperate exam than the comprehensive exam, which determines the glasses prescription and examination of the ocular health. When making the appointment for the contact lens exam, make sure to let the optometrist’s office know that this is the first time your child is wearing contact lenses since extra time needs to be devoted to this visit in order to teach them to use the contact lenses. During the contact lens exam the doctor will determine the prescription for contact lenses, which can sometimes be different from the glasses prescription. The optometrist will also check to see how well the contact lenses fit on the patient’s eyes. Once the right combination of prescription and fit of contact lenses is found, the patient will learn how to insert and remove the contact lenses at the office. The patient will need to be able to do this by themselves before they can leave with the contacts. Proper care and use of contact lenses will be reviewed at this time. The patient will then come back in one week for another visit to make sure there are no complications due to the use of contact lenses.
The biggest concern with using contact lenses is the risk of getting an eye infection. This is true for children, as it is for adults. It’s crucial to stress to your child the importance of proper hygiene when handling contact lenses. Not only is it important to make sure hands are washed clean before inserting and removing contact lenses, but having a clean contact lens is also important. Due to the fact that too much is involved in replacing the contact lens, the solution it’s stored in, and the case, only daily disposable contact lenses are offered to children at NOVA Optique + Eyecare. This makes the care of contact lenses a lot easier and puts the mind of parents at ease since it reduces the risk of infection. If your little one is interested in contact lenses, make sure to schedule an appointment today.