Contact Lenses

I got contact lenses myself when I was about 13. I had the extended wear (that you replace annually) at that point and for many years afterwards. I switched to monthly disposables at some point as a teenager and have been using those ever since. I never had any problems.

My 10 year old has been wearing the 2 wk lenses since September and loves them. I wanted to buy the daily wear but her eye doctor (Wills Eye Doc) talked me out of it. (Said the expense was not necessary given the ease of care of the 2 wk. lenses.) She does clean (rub) her lenses for 15 seconds each, even though the solution says this is not required. Her doctor recommended this.

I've been wearing glasses full-time since I was 5, and contacts since I was 13. And because I'm old (47), I started back in the days of plexiglass hard lenses. I still wear hard lenses, because now I need bifocals, and the hard lenses correct that, and all of my other vision problems the best. They are also the cheapest, but I wouldn't recommend those to anyone who doesn't have to wear them.

My youngest son has been wearing the 2-week dailies for 2 years. He's 18 now. Our doctor no longer prescribes extended wear because of infections and other complications. When we were deciding which contacts to get for my son, I was up front with the doctor about what we could afford to do. He initially wanted to prescribe the daily throw-aways, but we all decided that the 2-week dailies were more affordable.

my understanding is that the doc's don't recommend the extended wear lenses much anymore, because of the chance of infection. Your son is better off taking them out daily and cleaning them overnight. Getting an infection inside your eye can blind you.

Hi P., I have two girls in contacts. The Dr. told us to wait until they were 13 and could be responsible. They both wear daily wear and get a new pair every month (our insurance pays for 12 pair a year). I know the brand that my girls wear are $19.97 a box (6 lenses) at WalMart. Check out prices at other optical stores, not just your Dr. office! Good luck

Hi P.,

Talk to your Dr. about your concerns. Good back to the source.

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

I used to wear the same kind of lenses you did and rencetly inquired about contacts. I was told they do not do them anymore. They cost more BUT you get clean lenses every day and it is easy to get lazy about your contacts especially kids so this is a very good thing. You do not want to be lazy about having clean contacts in your eyes!

I can't wear contacts anymore. I really miss them. I would allow them if your child is doing well with them. My mom wouldn't let me have them finally in my later teans I got my dad to get them when my mom was in the hospital.

I have been wearing contact lenses since I was 11. Whatever you do, DO NOT get your contacts from the Doctor...they are the most expensive there! I' ask for a prescription for the every 2 weeks kind, then call 1-800-contacts. If you find on the web a place cheaper, they will beat it by 2%, plus give you free shipping. If you sign up for www.bradsdeals.com alerts they sometimes have some GREAT deals on contacts.
Good luck! If you have any more questions regarding the above feel free to email me. :)

My optometrist says to NEVER sleep with contacts in. I am on month replacements. I take them out every night and clean them, then put them back in next day. At end of month I throw them away and open new pair. I think as long as he is responsible and cleans them daily that it should be okay. They probably recommended the daily wear because he doesn;t have to clean them. Figure maybe he is too young for that responsibiltiy. I have worn contacts sine I was 18 and am now 37. If he learns how to take care of them properly he should be fine. I would still recommend the month replacements, as you don't have to worry about protein build up, etc. Less expensive than daily replacement, but more than regular daily wear.

P.-
I am a sales rep for a contact lens manufacturer. I wanted to tell you that extended wear is not a great "healthy" option for anyone, especially a child. Most eye docs would agree with this statement. The risk of an eye infection increases with extended wear lenses. Actually, the least amount of time a lens is worn the better. My nephew is in daily disposable (which is the most expensive, but healthiest way to wear a lens because you throw it out every day), but if cost is an issue then the next best option is two week daily wear. You'd be surprised at how inexpensive a 2 week daily wear lens is compared to a monthly lens (if that's the wear schedule you are considering). I hope that helps!

If your eye doctor says it's ok, that's his experience talking.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
chat and events within 2 hour radius

When my 21 y/o started with contacts, I was paying a lot through our optomotrist. She started paying for them when she was 19 y/o. She found many websites that offer them for a 1/3 of what I was paying. You would need his last lens prescription and it has to be within 12 months of an exam. Currently she pays around $25 for a 6 month supply.

I think that your doctor is trying to make it as easy as possible since it is your son's first time. You know your son best.
I personally was never that great at taking them out every night. I discussed this with the doctor and he gave me lenses that were breathable, ones that I could wear overnight. I did have trouble with a couple lenses before we got the right ones. I got irritation and an eye infection within a couple days and it was because of the contacts.
I am not saying that these are the best for your son but there are many options. And sometimes they will work and sometimes they won't. Maybe just buy 1 box, of whatever you decide, to see how it goes.

I started wearing contacts in 7th grade. Mine were good for like...6-8 months or something like that? I was suppose to take them out every night. I, however, was AWFUL at doing this. I slept in my contacts for months and months at a time. I have to say...I've been lucky and I had no big problems. I have heard horror stories of people who were not as lucky As an adult, I finally understand the need to take care of my eyes and contacts. So whatever you decide, just stress the importance of taking them out daily regardless of what kind they are.
Good luck!

My 12yo autistic son has been wearing contacts since November. He's doing great with them. The dailies were an option, but his dr felt he would be fine with the 2 week disposables. I believe a 6 month supply was around $100. When he runs out of these, I'll be going to 1800contacts.com to order more. I found that we'll save about $5/box and with a 6 month supply that's a savings of $20.

Best of luck,
B.

Hi P.,

I am by no means a pro on the subject, but I am 31 years old and my husband and I both have been wearing the daily wear lenses for years. They are super easy to take care of and you can just ditch them when you need a new pair. I think that the extended wear lenses are "harder" to take care of and for a 12 year old, that may be a little much.

You can get a little extra wear out of the daily wear lenses by taking them out nightly and by trying not to sleep in them or wear them for more than 10 hours at a time. That always cuts down on cost because you don't go through as many pair as they say you will. America's Best has a club program that I belong to and it saves us money.

Good luck to you and your son.

he means new ones each day? or just to wear them during the day? something doesn't make sense

I don't have any experience with kids and contacts, but I've been a contact wearer for years. For the past decade, I've been using the daily acuvue contacts. Although they are more expensive, they don't require cleaning, which could be an issue with a child. Plus if you lose one, it's no big deal. I get mine through 1800contacts.com - much cheaper than the eye doctor right now - but it does flip-flop. My advice is to shop around for the best price. Good luck!

Hi P.,
Honestly......
A lot of it is going to depend on how diligent your son is about his hygiene. Is he someone that you still have to remind to take a shower, brush his teeth etc. then you may want to go for the daily wear. He will still need to build good habits, clean hands making sure that he uses the right products etc.
My son wore the extended wear contacts when he was a teen. He was good at it for most of the time but there were times that he would fall asleep and he sometimes would not be as diligent with them. As he got older he did go for the daily wear.
As a contact wearer yourself -- I am sure that you already know the problems that can go with unsantitary lenses so you don't need me to go into it.
If you think that HE can handle the responsiblility then I would suggest that the extended wear would be the way to go as far as expense.

No experience with kids & contacts but I have been weraing the "old fashioned" Ciba Soft lenses for 20+ years. O. pair per year and I have had no problems! I refuse to be swayed to the disposables--I figure if it's not broke, don't fix it!

My daughter wear contacts also and she changes them according to schedule but did wear them longer during the day. Well a few months ago she had gotten a ulcer in her eye. The doctor said this is caused by not changing them when you should or wearing them too long.You need to change the contacts according to schedule. This is very painful.
Hope this helps
D.

My 12 year old daughter got contacts in December. Our eye doctor gave her the 2-week kind. I asked about the daily ones, but he said it's so easy to care for them, and the 2-weeks don't need any special cleaning other than rinsing and storing in the case, that the daily ones aren't necessary. She's doing great with them! Good luck!