Teens who wear glasses often wish they could switch to contact lenses. Learn the basics of contact lens wear for teens, including what to expect at the doctor's office, what lenses are available and why disposable lenese are better than ever.
How Young is Too Young?
Children as young as ten or eleven years old can be successfully fit with contact lenses. Parents should take the maturity level of the child into consideration and discuss their concerns with their optometrist during their first visit. Healthy contact lens wear requires responsibility on the part of the wearer in order to prevent eye infection or injury. Contact lenses, even disposable brands, require daily care and should only be worn for the amount of time specified by your optometrist.
You will need to make an appointment to see an eye care professional, usually an optometrist or ophthalmologist, for an eye exam. You doctor will check the health of your teen’s eyes, check their vision, and determine the right prescription for contact lenses. Contact lens prescriptions are different than glasses prescriptions. A contact lens prescription will have four pieces of information:
The brand or style of contact lens
The power, or amount of visual correction
The base curve of the lens, which mimics the eye’s curve
The diameter, or actual size of the lens
Before your appointment, write down a list of questions you and your teen have and bring it with you to the visit.
At the Optometrist’s Office
Once you, your teen and your doctor decide to try contacts, your teen will be given a class, usually by an optician or member of the doctor’s staff. Plan to spend at least two hours at the office—the insertion and removal class can be time consuming. During the class, your teen will learn:
How to insert and remove a contact lens
How to safely clean and store their contacts
What solutions and cleaning products are best to use
When not to wear contacts, such as when swimming
Why water should never be used to re-wet contacts
When to come back to see the doctor again
Learning to insert contact lenses can be a frustrating process. No one gets it right on the first try, and younger teens sometimes get discouraged. Try to keep your teen calm. Sometimes having an audience can hinder the process; leave younger siblings at home.
After your teen has successfully inserted and removed their contacts, they will be given a sample of cleaning solution and re-wetting drops. You should be sure to purchase more solution in the next day or two. Teens usually go through quite a lot of solution while adjusting to inserting and removing their contacts.
Directly after the class is the best time to bring out your previously prepared list of questions. Opticians usually have more time to spend with patients than the doctor does, and they should be able to answer all your questions. Opticians are full of knowledge; don’t hesitate to ask for tips or tricks to make contact lens wear easier.