Contact Lenses for Kids

Contacts for kids offer a liberating alternative for active children who play sports or find glasses uncomfortable. They help boost confidence and remove the worry of broken or misplaced frames during school and playtime.

Contact lenses give kids more freedom during physical activity since there are no frames to lose, break, or get in the way during sports. For children with significant nearsightedness or corneal irregularities, contacts can also provide sharper vision than glasses in certain cases.

Research involving children aged 8 to 17 found that both younger children and teenagers reported similar improvements in vision-related quality of life after switching to contacts, including better satisfaction with their visual acuity, greater confidence in athletic activities, and improved social acceptance. Kids who wore thick-lens glasses also reported feeling more comfortable with their appearance after making the switch.

Wearing contacts requires a consistent care routine, including cleaning, storing, and replacing lenses on schedule. While very young children will need parental help, research suggests that children between the ages of eight and 11 can handle contact lens care responsibly when properly guided by an eye care professional and their parents.

A practical way to gauge readiness is to look at how your child handles other responsibilities. If they brush their teeth, do homework, and help with household tasks without being reminded, they are likely mature enough to manage a lens care routine. Your child's eye care professional can also help assess whether contacts are appropriate based on your child's eye health and prescription.

Daily disposable contact lenses are the most commonly recommended option for children because they require minimal maintenance. Each pair is worn once and discarded at the end of the day, eliminating the need for cleaning solutions and reducing the risk of deposit buildup.

Daily disposables are available for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and biweekly and monthly lenses are also viable options for children responsible enough to follow a nightly cleaning routine. Your child's eye care professional determines the best lens type, brand, and replacement schedule based on your child's prescription and eye health.

Popular daily disposable options for kids:

• Biotrue ONEday by Bausch & Lomb
• Focus Dailies by Alcon
• 1-Day Acuvue Moist by Johnson & Johnson

Popular biweekly options for kids:

• Acuvue 2 by Johnson & Johnson
• Avaira Vitality by CooperVision
• SofLens 38 by Bausch & Lomb

Popular monthly options for kids:

• Biofinity by CooperVision
• ULTRA by Bausch & Lomb
• Air Optix Aqua by Alcon

Your kid may need your help for the first few times when inserting and removing their contact lenses. Here's how you can help them:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with mild soap and warm water. Dry them with a lint-free towel.
2. Have your kid stand so that they’re facing you. With their head tilted slightly back, ask them to look forward and slightly upward. Try not to hover above their eyes as this may cause them to instinctively blink.
3. Scoop the first lens out of the case with the index finger of your dominant hand and rinse it with a multipurpose solution. Check that the lens isn’t inside out and inspect it for any tears or debris.
4. Ask your kid to open their eye as wide as possible. Your kid may need to gently pull up the skin of their upper eyelid with their index finger to keep their eye open. The bottom eyelid may also need to be gently pulled down.
5. Gently place the contact lens onto your kid’s eye. The lens should stick to the eye once it comes in contact with it. Try to center the lens over the iris of your kid’s eye. Have your kid blink a few times to center the lens.
6. Repeat with the other lens.

To remove your kid’s contacts, ask them to hold both their upper and lower eyelids open. Gently pinch the lens between your index finger and thumb, then lift it off. Repeat with the other lens.

There is no minimum age requirement for contact lens wear, and concerns about safety in children are common among parents and eye care professionals. Research shows that children aged eight to 12 and teenagers aged 13 to 17 are no more at risk than adults when wearing soft contact lenses. One meta-analysis of pediatric soft contact lens studies found that younger wearers actually had a lower rate of microbial keratitis and inflammatory complications than adults, which researchers attributed to better compliance and closer parental supervision.

Children, teenagers, and adults share the same baseline risks when wearing contact lenses. Contact your child's eye care professional if they experience any of the following symptoms.

• Allergic reactions
• Corneal abrasions
• Irritation of the cornea
• Contact lens-induced acute red eye
• Contact lens-induced dry eye
• Sensitivity to light
• Sudden blurry vision
• Increased eye pain or discomfort
• Bloodshot or unusually watery eyes