Giving contact lenses to kids – whether for medical or cosmetic reasons – comes with its own set of dos and don’ts, which kids and their parents need to bear in mind.
An increasing number of kids, between eight to 15 years, are being prescribed contact lenses for various reasons. While parents worry that using these could result in ocular problems, eye care practitioners state that fitting children with contact lenses is perfectly safe as long as proper hygeine and the lens care regimen is being followed.
Dr Kartar Chhabrak, Medical Director and Ophthalmologist at Al Fahim Medical Center in Dubai, says that he has been noticing a lot more youngsters in his consultation practice, demand for contact lenses, rather than wait for it to be prescribed. “I don’t prefer prescribing contact lenses to kids under 14 years, unless they need it for medical reasons. I feel after the age of 14, they are at an age where they can follow the lens care routine properly,” he adds.
Today, where appearance seems to plays an important role in the way a young adult is perceived, medical reasons are not the only motive why children insist on contact lenses. This is especially the case with kids who have very high refractive errors, as they feel their spectacles look unsightly. According to Dr Prashant Bhatia, Specialist Ophthalmologist and Medical Director of Vista Healthcare Clinic, Dubai, “Recommending contact lenses to these kids tends to boost their self-esteem and I find that the motivation to continue wearing the lenses is very high in these children.”
COUNSELLING COUNTS
While visiting the optical store for their kids eye care issues, parents should ensure that the eye care practitioner gets to spend a lot of chair time to counsel the patient. In some cases young children under 15 years are not very keen on wearing contact lenses, Dr Chhabrak then asks the parents to identify someone from the child’s peer group who uses wearing contact lenses, to ward off the kid’s fear and anxieties.
But the most important part of this exercise is to get the kids to follow the proper contact lens care routine and the best way to do this is for the parents to first get aware themselves and then discuss with the kids about the likely problems they might run into, otherwise. Whether it’s washing hands before inserting the lens or using the lenses only for the hours that it has been prescribed for, it’s very important for the parents and the kids to follow the dos and don’ts. Parents should also bring the child for regular check-ups to check the status of the refractive errors. At this time, the eye care practitioner gets a chance to check if the proper lens care regime is being followed or not.
At the end of the day, kids will be kids. Hence, the onus of ensuring that they use their contact lenses properly falls on parents. They need to guide their children in following the contact lens care regimen properly, so that the kids enjoy better vision in a healthy way.
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CARING FOR YOUR CONTACT LENS
- Do not wear your contact lens beyond the prescribed period of usage.
- Wash your hands with a mild soap and dry them, before using your contact lenses.
- Never substitute tap water for multi-purpose lens solution.
- Do not sleep with contact lens in your eyes.
- To remove surface build up, gently rub your contact lens with your index finger in the palm of your other hand, before you use them.
- Ensure that the contact lens case in which you store your lenses is always clean. Clean your contact lens case every time you use it with sterile solution or warm tap water and let it dry before use.
- Never share your contact lens with anyone.
