Contact lenses for children and teens.

More than 3.3 million people in the UK enjoy the many benefits of contact lenses but only a very small proportion of them are children.

Interest in contact lenses starts at an early age and their use is widely suited to all age groups. The advantages of contact lenses over glasses are well recognised but among the additional advantages for teens and children are:

• Better vision and more convenient for sports and leisure activities where children often remove their glasses for fear of breaking them
• Improved appearance and social acceptance, especially with high levels of short sight (myopia) or long sight (hyperopia)
• Greater self-confidence, self-esteem and satisfaction
• Avoid frequent breakages of glasses
• Full time vision correction – particularly important in children with squint, astigmatism and poor vision in one eye to ensure the eyes work properly together and to avoid a ‘lazy eye’
• Easily updated when eyesight is changing frequently
• Added protection from ultraviolet (UV) exposure with some lenses

Types of contact lenses for teens and children

There are various types of contact lenses available and the choice will depend on the child’s individual vision, lifestyle and requirements.

At HMD Opticians we can provide you and your child with all the relevant information to enable us to come up with a solution tailored to your needs.

There is no specific age limit at which contact lenses can be fitted for children and at HMD Opticians we prefer to make the decision on a case by case basis. Provided your child is capable of handling the lenses competently, and can follow the hygiene guidelines, then they would be suitable for a contact lens trial.

At HMD Opticians we offer a FREE contact lens trial so for more information or to book an appointment please contact one of our practices and we will be happy to advise you.