Contact Lenses for Kids

Appearance, wanting to fit in or seeking an alternative to eyeglasses during sports prompts many children to ask for contact lenses. Parents struggle to answer. Physically, very young children can wear contacts. For healthy eyes, however, all contact lenses require sanitary handling and most require special care. Maturity and responsibility in other areas are good predictors for success. During a three-month Ohio State University study of 8- to 11-year-olds wearing daily disposable lenses, 90 percent were able to put in and remove their contacts without assistance.

Many children believe wearing glasses sets them apart from their friends, especially if kids have teased them about their glasses. Wearing contact lenses can prevent this. A 2009 study, appearing in "Optometry & Vision Science," followed 224 8- to 11-year-old children for three years. Researchers found that contact lenses improved how children felt about their appearance, their abilities in sports and their acceptance among friends. In cases where children originally did not want to use glasses, wearing contact lenses increased their confidence in their academic performance.
Compared to eyeglasses, contact lenses have many benefits for active and athletic children. Despite impact-resistant lenses, safety and sports eyeglasses, the potential for injury still exists if a frame should break upon impact. Contacts have the added benefit of stability, they do not jump and wobble during play and there are no foggy lenses to worry about.
Contact lenses, notably gas-permeable lenses, can sometimes provide clearer vision than eyeglasses due to better optics, according to Allaboutvision.com. With nothing to obstruct the view, all contact lenses offer greater peripheral vision than glasses. Also, GP contact lenses have the potential to correct or temporarily correct myopia (nearsightedness) using a special technique called orthokeratology.
Types of contact lenses include single-use, daily-wear, extended-wear and gas-permeable lenses. Worn for a day, single-use contacts require no care and are disposed of before sleeping. Daily-wear lenses require daily cleaning and frequent replacing. Extended-wear lenses can be left in the eye 24 hours a day for several weeks. Yet, some eye doctors discourage regular overnight use, according to the Mayo Clinic. GP lenses are long-lasting and easy to maintain. Harder than other contacts, there may be initial discomfort and a greater tendency to shift position, causing irritation and blurring. But they allow more oxygen to reach the eye, thus reducing infection risks.