Eyeglasses vs Contact Lenses for Children

Regular visits to the children’s eye doctor are crucial to ensuring your child’s vision is clear and developing correctly.

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If your child does require vision correction, there are a number of effective and affordable options that can make make it easier and more comfortable for them to see. Correcting vision early with glasses or contacts can keep their eyes healthy and even prevent their vision from worsening.

Our Calgary eye doctors provide a number of comprehensive testing services from eye exams to contact lens fittings for children of all ages. We aim to help you make the most informed decision when it comes to your child’s eye health care.

Is your child suffering from a vision problem?

 

Eyeglasses & Your Child: How to Find The Perfect Pair

Today, there are strong, comfortable and stylish frames made for children. These eyeglasses not only improve vision, but they look great too!

Here are some of the things you should discuss with your eye doctor when choosing the right eyeglasses for your child:

Right Size & Fit

A comfortable, correct size and fit is essential for children’s eyeglasses. The frame should:

• Not be too big or too small
• Not be wider than the face itself
• Be large enough that your child can see in all directions

It is important to get a children’s eye doctor to help correctly adjust the glasses because even small fitting errors can lead to less effective vision correction.

Bridge Fit & Comfort

When you have selected the eyeglasses, ensure that the bridge of the nose fits correctly.

If the glasses sit on any pressure points, they will be very uncomfortable and it’s unlikely that your child will wear them.

Discuss your options with the eye doctor including gel-padding to make the nose bridge extra comfortable.

Temples

It is important to pay attention to the way the eyeglasses fit at the temples. They should fit comfortably, without pressure and without being too loose.

Your children’s eye doctor may be able to provide sport hinges or sport temples which are flexible and easily fitted to a child’s ear.

Material

The material for your child’s eyeglasses should have three properties:

• Resistant to breakage
• Flexibility
• Lightweight

Titanium is often a good choice as this material is light, flexible and durable, so is less likely to need frequent repairs and replacements.

Lens

There are two things to take into consideration when determining which lens to use:

• Thickness
• Material

Thickness: Your eye doctor can give you a good idea on how thick the lenses will be and may recommend suitable frames that can make them appear thinner.

Material: Most children’s eye doctors recommend polycarbonate lenses because they’re the most impact resistant and safest lens material. They are also lighter and less likely to scratch compared to plastic.

Glass is NEVER recommend because it shatters when broken, and can be a hazard to your child’s eye.

 

Contact Lenses & Your Child: Are They Old Enough?

Although many children’s eye doctors begin encouraging contact lens wear between the ages of 11-14, wearing lenses is less a matter of age and more about whether or not your child is responsible enough to care for them properly.

If your child has expressed an interest in wearing contact lenses, it is important to discuss the following factors with your eye doctor:

1. Adjusting to contact lenses takes time and patience so your child must be committed to wearing them
2. Your child must be responsible and mature enough to clean and care for his/her lenses daily.
3. Contact lenses are designed to be comfortable but tend to become dry at the end of the day and should be removed as soon as possible to prevent dry eye or infections.

If you believe that your child is ready for contact lenses, you should book a contact lens fitting with an eye doctor as they can help determine whether this is the safest and best option for your child.

 

Benefits of Contact Lenses for Children

Aside from never having to worry about broken or damaged eyeglasses again, contact lenses offer a myriad of benefits for children including:

• Better vision: Contact lenses give a clearer and wider field of view compared to eyeglasses, causing less vision distortions and obstructions
• Good for more active children: Not only do contact lenses reduce risk of injury from broken eyeglasses and/or shattered frames, they also provide better peripheral vision which can improve performance in sports activities.
• Protect your child’s eye health: Opting for contact lenses with UV protection has been proven to reduce children’s risk of eye problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration later on in life.

 

Learn More

To find out more about our wide range of eyeglasses and contact lenses for children, contact our Calgary eye doctors today at (403) 280-7518.