How Old Do You Have to Be to Wear Contacts? Guidelines for Kids and Teens

August 6, 2025 contact lenses Uncategorized 0

As a parent, you must have been wondering if it’s right for your kids of a certain age to start wearing contacts. The answer is, there is no recommended age for kids to wear contact lenses; it depends on the level of their responsibility. We all know children’s maturity level differs, and it is key to their contact lens journey.

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When is the Right Age for Kids to Wear Contact Lenses

The qualities your kids possess are the determinant for contact lens wear. Some kids in the range of 8 – 9 are smart enough to handle their contact lenses without causing trouble, while some parents think it’s best for their kids to wait until their early teens.

The biggest factor at any age is their readiness to understand, take responsibility, and use them safely.

Responsibility as a Factor

Wearing contacts isn’t as easy as putting on glasses. There are certain levels of proper hygiene and contact lens care that must be upheld for them not to cause further damage to the eye.

Whatever the age of your kid, they must be ready to keep the lenses clean daily unless they are daily disposable, insert and remove them properly and safely, adhere to the wearing schedule, especially for extended-wear lenses so they don’t damage their eyes, and not sleep in their lenses unless specially prescribed for night use.

The first step to begin wearing contacts is making sure they fit into all these categories by visiting the eye doctor to assess the factors during a contact lens fitting. These professionals know what to ask or say to your child to determine if they are ready to embark on this journey or not.

Benefit of Contact Your Kid or Teen

We all know that glasses are not lacking when it comes to enhancing perfect vision correction, but contact lenses may offer better benefits for your kids and teens, especially if they belong to the active category.

While glasses are perfectly fine for vision correction, contact lenses may offer some great benefits for kids and teens, especially if they are active. Here are some things to consider for your children’s benefit.

Sports and Other Activities

While glasses might be helpful, if they are into sports or physical activities where glasses might get in the way, it’s best to go for contact lenses because they offer a wider range of vision and don’t disturb them when they are carrying out their activities.

Contacts will not fall off, break or become foggy, unlike glasses. The best part? it can significiantly improve their peripheral vision during playing or these activities.

Improvement of Self-Esteem

It’s funny but true that for some children and teenagers, wearing contacts can serve as a confidence booster and increase their self-esteem. Glasses can make them feel self-conscious or hide themselves because they don’t want to be criticized about their vision problems but contact lenses can hide all of this.

Clearer Vision Enhancement

Contacts sit directly on the eye so they make the vision field wider and clearer compared to glasses that are fixed and limited in range. Contacts being this flexible can make your child benefit better and fit in more into the crowd without being insecure about their vision problem.

Possible Risk Attached

The main concern with wearing contacts is eye infections. Even some adults struggle to keep their contact lenses clean and wear them over the scheduled time. As kids or teens, they might get carried away with activities or homework so that they sleep in the contacts or don’t properly care for their eyes.

The scariest thing is if this eye infection occurs over and over or becomes severe, it can lead to vision loss. This is why the emphasis on proper hygiene and care is very important. You, as a parent, have a huge role to play too.

Process of Getting Contacts for your Child

You can’t just walk into a pharmacy to get your child’s contact lenses. You have to do a thorough eye care professional to determine your child’s eye health and prescription first. If they pass for wearing contacts, then contact lens fitting can follow to measure the eye and find the right size and contact type.

The professionals will teach your child how to properly insert, remove, and care for the lenses so they can take responsibility for their eyes when you are not there to help.

Most times, they go through a trial period by using daily disposables for a few weeks so they can get used to wearing contacts and practicing proper hygiene. This is a test to see if they are mature enough to handle long-term wear.

After all this, you have to keep tabs on the regular eye exams because they are important for your child’s eye health to remain in good condition.

Your Role as a Parent

It doesn’t end with you paying the bills. Be a role model for them by washing your hands before handling anything that concerns their eyes. You have to constantly supervise them when they are inserting or removing their lenses so they can do it correctly and keep it clean.

If they are past the daily disposable lenses stage, always provide fresh contact lens solution and a new pair of lenses so they don’t get stranded. Listen to their eyes’ complaints. If you notice any discomfort or redness, contact the eye doctor quickly.

Final Thought

The decision doesn’t lie with you but with your child’s eye doctor. They can determine your child’s prescription and readiness while guiding them through the process to ensure healthy eyes and clear vision so you don’t put them at risk.