Never Too Young

One of the greatest joys of being an optometrist is seeing the giant smile on the face of an incredulous teenager when I place contact lenses on their eyes. When I was a teenager half a century ago contact lenses were seldom talked about and extremely rarely offered to children or teenagers. I remember only too well, having to wear NHS glasses with thick black frames. They were so unappealing I used to wear them as I left home for school and, once out of sight from my mother, would put them in my school bag where they stayed for the remainder of the school day. Those same heavy black frames are now very fashionable and patients are delighted with their appearance. How times change.

Not all teenagers want to wear glasses and many, particularly if they are sporty, prefer contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses means no more problems with steamed up glasses due to COVID masks or because of our lovely damp Argyll climate They open up your peripheral vision and let people see the natural beauty of your unadorned eyes. I also prescribe contact lenses to pre-teens and teenagers as the most effective way of limiting the development of myopia (short sightedness).

I have lost count of the number of parents who have been adamant their child was too young and immature to try contact lenses, only to have to eat their words when their youngster walked out of my consulting room wearing a pair of contact lenses and a massive smile.

When is a child mature enough to wear contact lenses? If they can maintain a regular good hygiene regime, washing their hands and face and brushing their teeth they are mature enough. Sadly, many adults I know are unsuccessful contact lens wearers due to poor hygiene habits