Contact lenses for a kid : advantages and drawbacks

Many people now wear contact lenses as a complement to or replacement for their eyeglasses.
If allowed from the age of eight, wearing this optical equipment does, however, require compliance with strict rules on care and use.
So it's natural to ask whether contact lenses are suitable for kids, and what advantages or disadvantages they may have at such a young age.

The benefits of wearing contact lenses for kids

As for adults, contact lenses offer young people a number of advantages in everyday life.
First of all, these little items of equipment offer great discretion, which can be very valuable at this age.
In fact, during adolescence, physical appearance and the way other people look at you are often at the heart of preoccupations.
So contact lenses allow kids who don't want anyone to know they have a visual problem to keep it a secret.
Wearing contact lenses can then help them gain in confidence but also in maturity and autonomy.
Using contact lenses requires care and compliance with strict rules, which they must follow responsibly.
What's more, kids tend to be very energetic and move around a lot during the day.
Contact lenses can follow them in all their activities, even sports, without getting in the way or hindering them, as can sometimes do eyeglasses.
Kids won't have to worry about dropping or soiling their equipment as they would with prescription glasses.
Finally, contact lenses can provide them with more natural vision thanks to to the way they follow the movement of the eyes.

The disadvantages of contact lenses for kids

First, it should be pointed out that although contact lenses may be permitted in some cases from the age of seven, they're not recommended before the age of eleven.
This is because wearing such visual device requires a minimum level of maturity.
Because on the downside, contact lenses require regular, careful care.
Kids are sometimes not mature enough to do this on a daily basis.
Poor hygiene can lead to infection of the lens and, in turn, of the eye.
It should be emphasised that the ability to be responsible can vary from one young person to another.
Similarly, putting in and taking out contact lenses can be daunting for some youngsters, who are afraid of putting their finger in their eye.
This may partly explain why some kids don't want to wear contact lenses.
What's more, the delicacy and meticulousness required are not always within the reach of younger people.
Finally, young people tend to be more absent-minded and run the risk of forgetting to take out their lenses.
Sleeping with their contact lenses in or wearing them for too long can lead to certain difficulties and dry eyes.
That's why it's best to ask your Optical Center optician for advice before fitting your child with contact lenses.