how old were your kids when they started wearing contact lenses?

[fac]

I know a large part depends on the maturity of the kids, but like to see people's experiences...
DD11 has to wear glassess for 3 years now, but she does not wear them for ice skating and dancing...I thought contact may help. I don't wear contact myself, are there anything that I should look out for?

thanks

 

[Mom of three]

It all depends on the child. I used to work for an optometrist and part of my job was to teach people how to put in contact lenses and properly care for them.

The youngest person who attempted contacts (in my care) was 9 years old. She did not take it seriously and was not mature enough to handle them.

Now I have 2 daughters, one is 12 the other is 11. They both just started wearing contacts and have done very well with caring for them.

If you feel your daughter may do well with it, talk to the eye Dr., and she may be fitted with a "trial" pair to see how she does at first.

Good luck.

 

[disneycruising]

My DD has worn glass sense she was 2. She really, really wanted contact. She talked about it for a long time before we got them. She started wearing contacts right before starting her 6th grade year.

We talked alot before-hand about having to put them in your eyes and she was fine with it. It did take her a little while to learn to take them in & out, on her own. I didn't realize it would be a big deal and sent her with grandma to pick them up... Poor Grandma.

She has not had any problems with them.

 

[curseofcurves]

I started wearing my contacts at age 12. My parents weren't making me wait for anything; it just kind of dawned on me that "hmm I can get contacts!" so I did. It took several minutes to get each one in my eye and comfortable the first few times I wore them, but it didn't take long to be able to get them in very quickly.

My eyes are very sensitive (I have other vision problems as well) so it was a long, difficult process finding the perfect brand of contacts and solution that didn't cause me irritation or infection. Your daughter will likely be perfectly fine in the first kind they give her, but know that it may take some getting used to or some exploration.

They make all sorts of contacts now; Ones you throw away daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, etc. So, talk with your daughter and her optometrist about what option will be the easiest for her to maintain.

Contacts may cause her eyes to get dry more often. If so, eye drops are good. My ophthalmologist recommended "Tears Naturale Free" since they have nothing harmful to the eye or contact. They work great.

All this said, I love my contacts and can't imagine living without them. Especially if she is active in sports, dance, skating, whatever. I personally think they're a great choice.

 

[CC12005]

I also started with contacts at 11, almost 12 years old after glasses for a year. My husband is an optometrist and agrees it depends on the maturity of the child. Most girls that are responsible & in sports at this age are ready. If this is something she wants and is willing to learn proper care of contacts, go for it.

 

[EMom]

DD10 is in 4th grade and has worn glasses since 2nd grade. She got contacts a few months ago and loves them. Her doctor's rule is that she had to be able to put them in and take them out. They made her do that and she was able to. So they gave her a week's supply and she only had trouble one morning. (Turned out to be a defective lens.) After a week, she went back so he could check out her eyes to see how they were doing with contacts and they were fine. So we ordered a 90 day supply and they gave her another's week's worth of samples to hold her over until they arrived.

She wears daily disposables. The dr. said unless the child is the most responsible kid in the world, at age 10 he recommends those. DD is a sweetie, but not completely responsible. The dailies are working well. She even wore them swimming recently and was thrilled to be able to see at the pool.

I think it's a good idea to ask your dr. how many samples he'll give you because you really need several days to try them out.

Around here, the trend is for kids to go from glasses to contacts around 4th grade. I had not realized that until DD got hers and then discovered that MANY of her classmates wore them. Later, some teachers told me perhaps one kid in a class of 4th or 5th grade still wears glasses. But I don't think that's the norm nationwide.

 

[Cindy B]

My son was in the 6th grade. He's pretty good about it.

 

[wilma-bride]

My DD was 13 when she first got contacts. She has daily disposables though, so there were no issues around having to clean them. I did make sure to stress to her how careful she needed to be about having clean hands to put them in and take them out.

She is 16 now and the cost of her dailies has gone up and up and we are considering starting her on monthlies but I still have minor concerns about how well she would clean them.

 

[PrincesCJM]

I was starting high school when I started where contacts. I started off with hard contacts and could only where them 8-9 hours a day - just long enough for a school day. I was having some drastic changes in my eye sight and the dr suggested hard contacts. I have since switched to monthly contacts. I like them so much better.

 

[dbmarie]

My daughter started using contacts at 10. We started out with the free 30 day supply to see how it would go. She is 12 and has no problems wearing contacts at all.

 

[ferrytale]

I think I was 13 when I started wearing them, but that was...18 years ago...lol wow didn't realize it had been that long. I never really had any major problems. I started with non-disposable soft lenses, but switched to monthly ones a few years later just b/c they were easier to care for. Good luck!

 

[melafive]

I got contacts the summer before 8th grade. My older brother bought them for me actually. Best thing that ever happened to me! Well one of them. I started out with hard contacts. They are easier to clean and get in and take out in my opinion. Plus they can last for over a year. I switched to soft contacts now and I have to say they are much more comfortable.

 

[dawson5]

My youngest son started wearing them at the end of 4th grade. He plays baseball and would not wear the plastic safety glasses. I was worried that he would be hit by a ball. We talked with the optometrist about it, he said every child is different. Before getting him contacts, I gave him an old pair of mine that were due to be thrown out and let him handle them. This allowed him to get used to them without the worry of tearing them. He didn't put them in his eyes or anything but learned how to clean them and handle them. My oldest didn't get his until he was 16. He is not as responsible as the youngest. He wouldn't wear his glasses, could never find them. Now that he has his contacts, he puts them in every day. He is prone to having them pop out though. Odd. Youngest took right to them, no issues taking in or out. Oldest I was putting them in for him for him for sixth months and sometimes I still have to.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My son was 9 years old when he got contacts. Though he is a very responsible child so I had no reservations about him doing what is expected of him when it comes to wearing contacts.

He just turned 12 and loves wearing them.

 

[JustineMarie]

My daughter was 7 when she got her contacts. She is the goal keeper for her soccer team and the sports goggles weren't working out for her. The way they were curved was messing with the way she saw the ball, so we opted for contacts. She used to only wear them for soccer and dance. Now that she is 8 she occasionally asks to wear them to school. She puts them in and takes them out by herself. All cleaning is done by her. She is also mature for her age so that may help.

 

[dhcoffey]

My DD17 was 5 when she got glasses. When she started middle school at 11, she decided she wanted contacts. When we went to pick them up and they made her try them on, not a good scene . She got them in okay but the taking them out, big problems. We were there over two hours trying to get them out. We decided to wait on contacts for a while. Two years later before 8th grade, tried it again and it's been great ever since, no problems. She wears the monthly contacts. Good luck!

Heather

 

[canadianjovigirl]

The boys on my son's hockey team are 11 and 12 and use contacts for hockey, but not all the time. My son has not asked yet, but i think i will mention it before the start of the next hockey season as his goalie mask sure is hard on his frames............

 

[Trixiezzz]

My DD switched to daily contacts when she started 7th grade.

We found dailies worked really well for the first 6 months or so -- because you tend to lose/tear more when you're still adjusting to having them. If she lost one or messed it up and had to get another, she was only 1 day behind -- rather than 1 month behind.

After that initial get-used-to-it period, she has now switched to the monthly lenses and she loves them!

 

[LSchrow]

one thing you should consider if she does get them:
the on-line stores are frequently less expensive than buying them from an optometrist/opthamologist, and are exactly the same thing. of course, the doc will have to fit her, but once she finds the type that works for her, you can save a lot of money going that route.
i used to use 1-800-contacts (which i saw on tv are now selling in a store, walmart maybe...?).
hth

 

[mychicks]

dd was 11, entering 6th grade. She's got the 2 week disposables and she loves them.