Kids often become more interested in their appearance by the time they reach middle school. So it’s around this time that it’s common for kids to ask to trade their glasses in for contact lenses, especially if they feel a little self-conscious about wearing glasses.
If your child’s eye doctor has given your child the ok to try out contact lenses, it’s important to make sure that your child understands how to properly care for their contacts. Your eye doctor’s office will likely provide you with information, but it never hurts to double-check to make sure your child is using the right lenses and is taking care of them properly. Below are a few good tips that parents with contact-wearing kids will find helpful!
- Kids should only wear contact lenses as directed by a doctor. For example, some brands of contact lenses are only supposed to be worn for one day and then thrown away to prevent infection, while others can be worn for two weeks or 30 days.
- Make sure kids always wash and dry their hands before handling contacts and contact cases.
- Purchase a multi-purpose solution for kids to clean and store contacts with when they aren’t wearing them. Don’t let them use a sterile saline solution.
- Make sure kids follow the “rub and rinse” method when cleaning contacts. Tell them to place the contact lens in their palm, apply a few drops of solution, and rub the front and back of the lens. Then, rinse the lens with fresh solution before placing it in the case to soak in solution.
- Tell your kids to clean contact cases daily by emptying the used solution, and then rinsing it with multi-purpose solution and allowing it to air-dry. Also, remember to replace cases monthly.
- Don’t let kids sleep with contacts in if they are daily wear, as this increases the risk of infection and/or irritation.
- Also, parents with daughters who wear contacts should be sure their girls are aware of how to properly apply eye makeup when wearing contact lenses.
Of course, once your kids start wearing contacts, they have more freedom in their options for sunglasses, too. Even if their contacts offer UV protection, they need sunglasses to protect the entire eye. Check out our Real Kids Shades for shades in colors and styles your big kids will love!
Tips adapted from U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Contact Lens Care for Kids; All About Vision; and Acuvue.