Too Young for Contacts?

I am very nearsighted and got my very thick embarrasing glasses at age 7. Oh how I hated them and still at 36 only wear my glasses around the house. I know how he feels. A lot may have changed since I was a child, but I know that my doctor made me wait until my eyes stopped growing to get contacts - age 12.

I remember having a hard time putting them in before school the first few weeks.. It would take me 45 minutes to put one in successfully and I would go to school with just one in. When he does get contacts, I would suggest the acuvue oasis disposables that you change out every two weeks. I bought contacts once a year until recently and they would always have a tear in them by the end of the year and annual contacts take a lot of cleaners to keep them comfortable.
S.
www.HappyWorkAtHomeMoms.com

I'd say that sounds like the perfect age... Young enough to still "listen" to mum & dad (aka not going through puberty), but old enough to be responsible.

Our pediatric opthamologist usually recommends glasses for gradeschool kids, but has given contacts (according to him) to 6 and up kids who were very active in sports, as long as they came in every 3 months for the first year to check on their eye health, and then every 6mo after that.

I got mine the summer before I went into 6th grade...not sure exactly what age that is but I know older than your son. That being said, I do not think that means I couldn't have had them sooner - I just never asked.

If he's responsible and you think you can trust him to keep them in the same place, not lose the solution, etc, then I say go for it. You can always have him try a trial then see how that goes.

He may be great with them and as a result, be very happy and responsible with them. Or he may not like them and realize glasses are better for him.

Good luck!

hi y now 11 year old is in contacts now. we did it because of sports. glasses can be so dangerous. he likes them pretty well. our problem is he doesn't take good care of them. they aren't that expeseve at the wal-mart vision center, about 60. 00 for 6 months. his glasses are more then 100.00 a year. but i must say he doesn't take good care of his glasses either. sticks them in his jeans pocket, no case, leaves them in the car, laying around the house, and the list goes on. good luck. check with his eye dr. and see if he can wear them. hope so. mom of 7, R.

G.,

I actually tried contacts myself when I was about 10 - that was back when only the rigid contacts could be used for people with Astigmatism. I TRIED to make them work because I hated wearing glasses. Unfortunately, my eyes did not then nor do they now, like to have contacts in them. If he really wants to try them - if you can afford it, give it a go.

T.

I got my first contacts at age 14, which I think is a good age. Arround the time they start high school.

However, a lot depends on responsibility and hygiene habits. It's extremely important to clean your hands well before inserting them and before removing them. It's also important to clean the contacts properly. It also takes a lot of patience, it's not easy putting contacts in. The first few weeks, it can take several tries each time.

Hi G.!

My son was 10 when he began, just like your son, to ask for contacts and attach negativity to his glasses. We went for his regular eye appt. and got his glasses "updated" and ordered the soft, gas permeable lenses that can technically be left in for a week or so.......all went well when "practicing" putting them in and taking them out while at the Dr's office but once we got home, anxiety set in and when he couldn't get them out immediately he panicked and basically embedded a negative first impression with the whole experience. After the first 2 days of trying to get them in and out and not being consistently successful, he decided his glasses would do just fine. I called and cancelled the contact order and it wasn't until almost 2 years later that he asked to try it again and had the patience and tenacity to figure it out and make it work. The only problem we had at that point is that my very active tween didn't want to have to bother taking them out until it was required and he went through several situations with irritated eyes (played soccer) and learned the hard way that it's not a bad idea to take them out and rinse them periodically even if the label says you can where them for 2 weeks......Mom and Dad's advice, even though we both wear contacts, just didn't matter. So, anyway, that was my experience and I thought my son was mature as well. I honestly think it depends entirely on the child and your son my come through with flying colors. The only thing I would suggest is that you have the doctor or asst. that helps with the initial "practice" explain to your son that sometimes it's not going to be easy to get them in and out and to expect that it may even be uncomfortable so that he has realistic expectations and doesn't get "gun shy" from the get go once the security of the professional hand holding is gone when he's on his own at home. They will usually give you a couple of sample pair when you leave the office if his prescription isn't too rare. This gives you a chance to try them out before you pay for and order the whole 6 month supply or whatever is suggested. Best of luck to you and remember a sense of humor will take you a long way....it was really frustrating to be the onlooker and not be able to just put them in and take them out for him, lol! Take care and have a great day! M.

but you could always try and see what happens and if he doesnt take care of them back to the glasses he goes. talk to his eye doc see what his opinion is also

My daughter wants contacts instead of glasses. I told her when I think she is responsible enough we will talk about it. She got her first pair of glasses last year and went through the first pair in 4 months, the second frame in a month and we will be getting new glasses soon (again). I told her that although part of the problem was the frame she did not take care of them-leaving them all over the house, lens down on a table or on the couch, within easy reach of little sister. Having contacts really does require better care since they sit IN the eye rather than in a frame on your face. If you think he would take the time and care needed, talk to the doc and see what he recommends.

I'd personally want to investigate it if it's so bothersome to him to have to wear glasses.

I can't remember how old my sister was when she started wearing glasses. It was certainly earlier than me, and I was 19.

I tried Googling the subject, but the word contact is too vague. I'd recommend asking the optometrist who normally treats his vision to see if it's advisable at his age because of the muscle control associated with wearing contacts vs. glasses.

Good luck.

Hi G.,

When I started wearing contacts as a teen it was like freedom set in. I could actually see better with them and people did look at me differently since I wasn't "four eyes" anymore. I was never teased about my glasses but I was self conscious.

I'm sure that it is okay for him to have them at 9 or 10 and his desperation tells me he'll probably try real hard to make them work. They are not difficult to care for if you are meticulous in detail. Most 10 year old boys aren't but that doesn't mean your son can't handle it. I personally think it is worth the investment to try. The contact eye exams are usually about 30-40 dollars more and then the doc usually gives you a free pair to try for about a week...

I have a strange astigmatism in both eyes and need bifocals and have just gone back to wearing contacts. It is possible for almost anyone to be fitted for contacts these days.

God bless!

M.

My son got glasses in 2nd grade and the prescription so far is fairly mild. We have told him when he starts middle school that he can get contacts. Why are we waiting until he is 11? Only because I want him to have several years under his belt of taking good care of his glasses. After he has demonstrated that he is not losing or breaking them all the time, then we'll move up to contacts. I also wanted to wait until his prescription settles a bit as I cannot afford to be replacing contacts all the time.

Since your son has been caring for glasses for almost 8 years, he has a sense of the maturity needed to take care of his vision. Maybe try a planful transition. Get new glasses AND contacts this fall and let him wear the contacts on weekends. Then you'll be at hand for when they "fall out" or become irritating, etc. Then try every other day and see how that goes. And definitely get the daily disposables.

I started wearing contacts when I was 11 (4th grade) after a lot of begging and pleading with my own mother so when my almost 11 year old son wanted contacts we had him fitted for daily disposables, no questions asked. If he didn't like them, he could go back to glasses. He's been wearing contacts now for almost two years. When my younger son had just turned 11 in January, he also wanted to get fitted for disposables. It's been 3 months and he's totally fine with it. And I agree with you that maturity is important. The only other thing I would mention is that comfort is absolutely key and we did have to try two types with both of them to get the right fit. Make sure your eye doctor is really patient and can really explain to them how to put them in and take them out. Now it's just a routine thing like brushing teeth! Good luck. I hope it turns out.

We just went to the eye doctor last month. My son is 12 today and the dr. said that they typically like to wait until a child is around 14 to get contacts. Maturity and hygiene strongly taken into consideration.

My husband says that next year we will probably go ahead and work with the eye doctor to move him from glasses to contacts so that he can make the transition before high school and not during high school.

one of my closest friends started wearing contacts at 10. I'd definitely chat with the eye doctor an see what he/she thinks. It sounds like your son is maybe being teased for wearing glasses?