| ne of the most common questions that eyecare professionals
hear from parents is, "When is it appropriate for children to start wearing contact
lenses?"  Contact lens wear is not a matter of age. Many infants and toddlers
wear them; some teenagers shouldn't. In other words, every case is different. Here are a
few things you should know to help you decide whether contacts are a good idea for your
own children:
Some contact lenses can slow the progression of
nearsightedness.
A 1990 study (Perrigin et al.) compared myopia
(nearsightedness) development over three years of a group of children wearing GP contact lenses versus a group of
children wearing glasses. The spectacle wearers developed myopia three times faster than
did the GP contact lens wearers. And while every spectacle wearer became at least a
little more myopic, 28 percent of the GP lens wearers either showed no increase
or showed a reduction in their myopia. Overall, 85 percent of the GP contact
wearers showed only a sixth of the myopia increase that the glasses wearers did.
 More studies are being conducted in this field, but many eyecare
professionals have seen good results in slowing the progression of myopia with GP contacts and continue to prescribe them for this purpose. In an
independent study conducted for the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association, 69%
of responding contact lens practitioners said they believe that GP
contact lenses may reduce the progression of childhood myopia.
Contact lenses are better for sports activities.
Even if your child is wearing polycarbonate spectacle lenses, if the frame breaks, it too
can cause injury. With contacts, he or she can wear protective goggles. Your child will
also have better peripheral (side) vision, for better awareness and performance.
Some contacts are a better value than others.
Unlike soft contacts, GP lenses are made of a firm plastic material that
retains its shape. This means they're easy to clean without tearing or scratching, and
they generally last longer than soft contacts or glasses.
 Some contacts are healthier than others.
GP contacts let oxygen through much better than soft contacts do. Corneal tissue needs oxygen to remain healthy. It also
needs moisture; since GP contacts don't absorb water from the eyes (unlike
soft lenses), they don't dry them out. Your child's eyes will stay more comfortable all
day long.
Many children, and most teens, would rather wear
contacts than glasses.
The self-esteem of children and teens is closely related to their
appearance. If they don't like the way they look in glasses, it can affect their
personality, their performance in school, even their future. Once they start wearing
contacts, many shy kids come out of their shell and begin participating more in life.
Most eyecare professionals report great results with
kids and contact lenses.
They find that kids of all ages usually take contact lens wear seriously and are more
likely than adults to follow cleaning instructions to the letter.
No eye doctor will prescribe contact lenses for children or
teenagers who aren't ready for them or who don't have a good reason to wear them. And they
don't hesitate to unprescribe them if a child doesn't take good care of them.
Talk it over with your eyecare practitioner -- he or she is
the best person to help you decide what's right for your children's vision correction.
For more information, read on:
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