We’ve all heard of adults forgetting to remove their contact lenses after a night out, or even getting an infection after neglecting to clean their contact lenses properly. So, you might be thinking, if adults can get it wrong, why on earth trust a child with contact lenses?! Surprisingly enough, children are often better at taking care of their contact lenses as they more easily adapt to change and enjoy the responsibility that comes with looking after them, motivating them to use their lenses more. This motivation comes down to the many benefits contact lenses for children offer.
Here are the top 3 benefits of children’s contact lenses:
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Better vision
Contact lenses enable better peripheral vision than glasses, which means it’s easier for your child to notice things out of the corner of their eyes. This leads on to our next benefit.
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Greater freedom
Playing sports while wearing glasses always comes with the worry that the lenses will break and result in a nasty eye injury. Contact lenses get rid of this worry and the improved peripheral vision they provide can also help with your child’s performance on the field, pitch or court.
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An unchanged appearance
As children grow, they become increasingly aware and self-conscious about their appearance. Finding out that they need vision correction and have to wear glasses can be quite a blow to their self-esteem. Contact lenses mean they can get the help they need with their vision without having to deal with a change in their appearance and the attention that comes with it at school.
While these reasons are sound, money is often a factor that puts parents off getting contact lenses for their child. After all, glasses are supposed to be a one-off purchase, whereas contact lenses need replacing regularly. The good news is, you don’t need to break the bank as prices vary depending on lens type and frequency of usage.
If your child only wears contact lenses while playing sports or for special occasions, for example costs become considerably more affordable. Not to mention that at the Camden Contact Lens Centre, we’ve taken your lifestyle needs and the cost of living into account, and therefore offer discounts on bulk orders.
Are contact lenses right for your child?
Whether or not your child is ready to wear contact lenses is less dependent on their age, as even infants have been fitted with contact lenses to help correct congenital eye problems. It is however dependent on their maturity, to keep up with good hygiene routines successfully and act responsibly with their contact lenses.
In an American study of shortsighted children aged 8–11 years who wore daily disposable contact lenses, 90% had no problem putting in or removing their contact lenses without help from an adult. So odds are, your child will be able to safely use their contact lenses.
It’s worth thinking about your child’s general behaviour when considering contact lenses for them. Do they listen well? Have good hygiene habits? Keep their room tidy? The answers to these questions are good indicators of whether you think they are ready for contact lenses.
Next steps
Before committing to a full contact lens consultation, book your child a free contact lens comfort trial appointment with us, your trusted Camden opticians.
In this short appointment, the contact lens practitioner will insert and remove a pair of contact lenses in your child’s eyes to give them an idea of what it feels like. This is to reassure them about how easy and comfortable they are to wear. We’ll go through everything you need to know and answer all your questions, so you can make a well-informed decision about going ahead with a full contact lens consultation and getting your child contact lenses in London. If you would like to speak to a member of the team directly about children’s contact lenses, give us a call on 0207 383 3838.