Among the many rites of passage for teens is giving up their glasses in favor of contact lenses. But how young is too young to make the switch? Experts agree that it's OK to introduce soft lenses to kids between 10 and 12. Along with advantages such as better mobility in sports, they suggest that young contacts wearers may pick up better hygiene habits by starting early. Read on to find out how Christine Sindt, OD, chair of the American Optometric Contact Lens and Cornea Council answered the reader question below.
Q: My 10-year-old wants to get contacts. Is she too young?
A: Not necessarily. More than half of the optometrists surveyed by the American Optometric Association said it was OK to introduce soft contacts between ages 10 and 12, and I agree. In fact, I prefer to start kids on the younger side: They tend to listen better than teenagers, so when I explain how to keep their eyes safe and healthy, those habits become ingrained for life.
Contacts are very safe—the risk of getting an infection from them is about 2 in 10,000—but if you don't properly care for them, the risk goes up. That's why daily disposables are a good choice for this age group; you never have to worry about whether your child remembered to clean them.
Your daughter can also avoid infection by washing her hands before putting in or removing her lenses and keeping a backup pair of glasses handy (anytime eyes feel irritated, take out the contacts). If she wears eye makeup, remind her to put in the contacts first and to avoid anything sparkly such as glitter, which can scratch the eye.
Still hesitant? Consider that contacts may help her social life. Studies have shown that giving contact lenses to full-time glasses wearers actually improves their self-esteem.