OK, I may have posted this before, and if so I am sorry. Does anyone have any experience with kids and contacts? My son is 11 and wears glasses, problem is he sleeps in them and refuses to take them off. Needless to say they get bent beyond belief and cannot be comfortable. I know they have contacts that you change once a month, but how do they work for kids? My concern is kids rub their eyes a lot, and I worry that he will scratch his eye or lose a contact. Any help here would be great. Anyone know a good eye Doc for kids?? Thanks ya'll.
Our family has loads of experience on this topic. Two eye surgeries for my child at a young age and then glasses. We were told that she would always have to wear glasses but are delighted that her eyes have changed and now she wears contacts. PM me and I will let you know all about the pros and cons and who we use. Sherry
I am 39 and began wearing contacts in the 6th grade. My daughter is 14 and began wearing them in the 6th grade also. I always stessed and still do to her that clean hands are a must. She knows that she must wash her hands with soap before she puts them in or takes them out. That her case must be rinsed daily and left to air dry and that the tip of the bottle must not be touched. I always keep an eye these things and have told her if she doesn't follow the rules, I will take them away and she will wear glasses. Eye infections are not something to take lightly. She wants to keep them, so I've not had a problem. She wears the kind that are thrown away every two weeks. She's never had a problem with losing them; only once or twice she has lost one. You just need to stress the importance of sanitation and that they aren't toys, that this is a responsibility of his and he'll be fine.
So off topic but I love your avatar carolgilx. I wore contacts for a short time. I could not wear them long because I had such dry eyes, plus an astigmatism(sp). I wish I could wear them.
I've worn contacts for a LONG time, since I was 16 or so. I absolutely hate to fall asleep in my contacts, especially since it's been ingrained in me the dangers of doing so. There are a couple of lenses that are supposedly safe to sleep in, but even with those the slightest risk for ulcers or keratitis is too much, in my opinion. I've always been very grateful for contacts; in my day to day life glasses just wouldn't cut it. I think the appropriate age is relative to the child.
I have been sleeping with my contacts now for years. My doctor knows I like to sleep with them so I do wear the kinds that are really good for that. I like waking up in the morning and knowing I can see. I have never gotten a eye infection. (not saying I won't). Sheri
I have the type of contacts that (supposedly) are safe to be worn for up to 2 weeks without removal. I, too, love sleeping in them and waking up being able to see clearly. I never have too much of a problem with dry eyes with these particular contacts. I thought all was well. Especially since I really only wore them occasionally - I'd wear my glasses for months and then maybe wear my contacts for a couple of weeks. I mostly wore my contacts during the summer months so I could wear my sunglasses. Thought I was doing well to give my eyes a break and all. However, I got a nasty eye infection last year and my doctor told me then that it is really not adviseable to sleep in ANY contacts - despite how they are marketed. According to my doc, your eyes need time to breathe and all without contacts - even though the contacts do allow oxygen exchage.
I started wearing contacts at 14 as I wouldn't wear my glasses. I was very responsible but still tore a few and that was in the days before disposables so it got a little pricey. But my doctor also said that it is not healthy to sleep in them as your eyes need time to breathe. I don't see how he can stand to sleep in glasses...ouch! I had LASIK 4 years ago and LOVE having perfect vision!!
I don't see how he sleeps in them either. That would hurt me. I wonder if they would do LASIK on a child. How much does laser eye surgery cost?
If he has a problem falling asleep in glasses, he won't be any better in contacts. My kids got contacts when they were around 16. They could have probably gotten them a little younger, but they weren't interested. I didn't want them to be irresponsible with something as delicate as their eyes, and made sure they were interested in the contacts, and really wanted it for themselves; they were better motivated to care for them. Good luck with your choice - I love my contacts, and if they are the right thing for this child, it'll really be no big deal.
Dr. Board at Raleigh Eye, is awesome with kids. I trust his opinion completely. My dd wanted contacts this year, so we asked Dr. Board and he said she needed to wait another year or so. She is 10, but something about her type of prescription, it makes it more difficult to get the contacts right. So, she was satisfied with that. But, you should definitely get the dr. opinion on your sons contacts. By the way, my 6yr old has the same problem with sleeping in his glasses.
I wonder how they stand sleeping in their glasses. I would think that would be very uncomfortable. I think I need to find more durable glasses for him in the mean time. The glasses that he has, the lenses keep popping out. BJ's keeps fixing them, but they keep coming out. He even dropped a lens in the toilet one day. Looked down and it fell in. Ewwwwwww. Don't they sell glasses frames that are all but indestructible?
My almost 15 year old got contacts a few months ago and still can't put them in. My brother in law is an eye doctor so of course I completely trust everything he tells me because I know that he would never hurt me or my kids. His wife (my husbands sister) works for an opthamologist and both of them have tried helping my son with putting the contacts in. I know he can do it, but he is funny about touching his eye (just like his dad). He has wanted them for years but my bil and I talked about it each time he asked and we both felt that he wasn't ready until a few months ago. Honestly I think it depends on the child and if he/she wants them and how responsible they are with other things in their life. I have worn contacts for about 10 years or so now. I have an astigmatism as well. Contacts have come a long way in the last couple of years.I have the contacts that you can sleep in and only have to be changed out once a month. I have been wearing this kind for about a year or so now and have not had any problems. They get a little blurry during high allergy season so I usually have to take them out every other day and clean them. I love being able to watch tv as I fall asleep and being able to see when I get up in the morning!!
For lots of years I carried around a glass tool case to fix those screws and it had extra screws. I also carried around an extra pair of glasses in case she lost a glass lense. We were lucky enough to survive with all of that for many years. Even fixed another kid's glasses when I would go into school to volunteer. Poor kid had tape and all on his glasses...once I put in new screws and all and he actually looked like a new child. He told me that his parents could not afford to get them fixed so he was excited and his mom was so sweet. I now wear those indestructible glasses you are talking about. It doesn't even look as though I wear glasses because of no frame and they can be twisted and turned without fear of hurting them. Mine are tri-folds, very light and I just love them. They make them for kids...that is the size I wear, the kids size. Sherry
You cannot have Lasik until you are at least 18 years old. Most eye doctors would not recommend a child have the type of contacts that you sleep in and leave in for long periods of time. They will have an even harder time remembering to take them out and change them if they only have to think about them once a month.
