Many children want to wear contact lenses from a young age to avoid the stigma and annoyance of glasses, however, how young is too young for contacts?
Most Optometrists gravitate to age 11 as the approximate age when a child can first be fit with contacts. This number has a great deal of flexibility as it is directly correlated to the maturity and responsibility of the child. In fact infants with severe ocular disorders are fit regularly with contact lenses and the parents are then educated in the care for the lenses. It is not the interaction of the lens and the ocular tissue of the youth that is concerning, it is the care regimen that dictates our progression into the contact lens modality for adolescents.
Contact lens wear and care is a serious responsibility and needs to be respected as such. We take a great deal of time educating both the child and the parents on the proper insertion and removal techniques of the contact lenses. We also thoroughly review the proper lens care solutions and how to clean the contacts correctly. Proper disposal of the lenses on a regular basis is also critical in the long term health for the child. All of these instructions are reviewed at a one week follow up evaluation to ensure both parent and child are confident with the program and all questions are answered before any purchase of lenses are made.
Most of the time, when the child is motivated, and wants the contact lenses badly enough, there rarely is a problem with them demonstrating that responsibility and maturity with the care regimen.