How To Help Your Child Transition From Glasses To Contact Lenses
As your child gets older, they may want to transition to contact lenses. This is a smooth transition for most kids, but it can be even smoother if you help them through the process. Keep these tips in mind.
1. Make sure they are ready.
Before letting your child wear contact lenses, make sure they are ready. If they have only had glasses for a short amount of time, they may need to adjust to their glasses before they can switch to contact lenses.
Also, think about their maturity levels. Will they keep the lenses clean and follow instructions? Are they likely to lose these small objects? If you still pack your child's school bag every day or have to remind them to brush their teeth, they may not be ready for contact lenses yet.
2. Consider daily-wear contact lenses.
Contact lenses come in a range of styles. Some are relatively permanent. They can last up to a year, but you have to take them out and clean them every day. Others can last up to a month, and you can wear them all day and night during this time frame.
Rather than choosing these options, you may want to steer your child toward daily wear contacts. With this option, your child can put in a new set of contacts each day. You don't have to worry about their eyes getting tired of wearing the same pair for a month, and they don't have to worry about daily cleaning.
3. Schedule a consult with an optometrist.
With the vast range of options online, it can be tempting to skip the optometrist's office and just order contacts on your own. Ideally, you should not do this. It's also important to note that contact lenses have a prescription that is slightly different than glasses. So, typically, you won't be able to use your child's glasses prescription to order contacts online.
Schedule a consultation with your optometrist. Talk with them about your child's needs to ensure you make the right selection. In most cases, the optometrist will be able to give you a sample pair of lenses. This allows your child to test out if a particular type of lens is right for them.
4. Go slowly.
Your child may be ready to ditch their glasses permanently, but ideally, they should always keep their glasses as a back up option. The transition needs to be handled slowly. Your child may want to start with wearing the lenses a few hours a day and then slowly progress to wearing them all day.
For more information on contact lenses, contact an optometrist near you.