My child does not want to be seen in glasses — can he/she wear contact lenses instead?
In young infants and children less than 11 years of age, contact lenses are usually only appropriate when a cataract has been removed from one or both eyes; however, for children who are 11-years-old or older, contact lenses are appropriate for the correction of refractive errors. But before contact lenses can be used, the ophthalmologist must fully examine your child’s eyes to be sure contacts are medically safe, and then great care must be taken to be sure that the contact lenses are fitted and used by the child in a responsible and medically safe manner. Every child wearing contact lenses in place of spectacles should still have a pair of properly-fitting, up-to-date glasses available for use when the contact lenses are not in the eyes. Contact lenses should usually be taken out of the child’s eyes daily.
