A Parent’s Guide to Contact Lenses for Teenagers

Contact lenses can be grouped together by several characteristics:

How often they're worn: Lenses can be worn on a daily basis or overnight (extended wear lenses).

Material: Contact lenses are normally soft or gas permeable.

Replacement: Disposable lenses are typically replaced every month or two-weekly. Teenagers love daily disposable contact lenses because no care is required as they are disposed of each night. They are healthier too because no dust or dirt collects on them.

As well as the aforementioned, there are many lenses designed for teenagers that have astigmatism or require bifocals that can be replaced daily or less frequently.

An optician can decide which features are suitable for your teen. Not only will they assess their tears and visual acuity but also their eye structure so that the lenses which are worn are very comfortable.

Contact lenses don't require a lot of cleaning. Monthly contact lenses have to be put in a case that's filled with solution but this is all that's needed. Daily contact lenses are simply thrown away at night. When monthly contact lenses are chosen, an optician will give advice regarding how to look after them.

If your teenager wears daily disposables simple discard of the damaged lens and use a fresh one. If they're wearing monthly or two-weekly lenses, it is also best to discard of the lens, and wear a spare lens (if you have one available) or glasses until you've had a chance to request a replacement lens from your optician.

A prescription is needed for all contact lenses. When they don't fit properly, this can cause a multitude of issues. An optician can offer advice about the contacts which should be chosen that have the right fit and prescription. Fitting contact lenses is not painful at all. As soon as you've decided to wear contact lenses, such as during an eye examination, an optician can instruct how to wear them.

Teenagers can discover that wearing contact lenses is far safer than glasses. When playing sports, such as football and basketball, glasses can be damaged. In a sport which requires goggles, such as skiing, wearing contact lenses are more comfortable and also convenient.

When contact lenses are looked after, they are very safe. If your teenager wears contact lenses for longer than recommended, this can cause damage and also when they swap lenses with their friends. When a teenager reports poor vision, they should see their optician immediately.

Contact lenses are made from very soft materials. Once they are placed on an eye, they are designed to be comfortable. An optician has high quality tools which can determine what contact lenses should be chosen.

When dirt or dust collects on contact lenses that are replaced every month, they can be uncomfortable. By cleaning them, allergens are removed. This issue doesn't happen with daily contact lenses because they are disposed of at the end of the day.

Many contact lenses are only designed to be worn when awake but there are some models which can be worn while sleeping, this are called extended wear contact lenses. An optician can assess your eyes to find out if they could cope with wearing contacts when you're asleep. Either way, there is a tiny health risk attributed to wearing contact lenses when asleep and the best way to wear them is when you're fully awake and disposed of at the end of the day.

When it is tried for the first time, it can be painful because people are afraid to touch their eyes. By learning how to put contact lenses in, it won't take long to do so. A lot of pain won't be caused either.

The answer is no. A natural membrane is found at the back of the eye which prevents a lens from getting behind it.

Under no circumstances should you wear someone else's contact lenses because an infection can be passed on.

It can be difficult to assess the cost of contact lenses. Many factors affect how much contact lenses cost such as prescription and how often they are worn. Your optician can say what a typical price range is for their contact lenses. The cost of purchasing cases and cleaning supplies should also be factored as well as that glasses must be owned as a backup.

The cost of daily disposable contact lenses is typically less because no solution or cases are required. Many daily disposable contact lenses can cost about 43p per day. If they aren't worn often, this is a very affordable option.

Fun to wear, colour and special effects lenses must be fitted by an optician and are designed to change the colour of the eye. They can be purchased as daily or monthly contact lenses. Coloured contact lenses can also be worn for cosmetic use only, this means the wearer does not need to have a prescription, instead they were what is called plano lenses. However, teenagers wishing to wear colour lenses without a prescription still need to see an optician to have their lenses fitted correctly.

Contact lenses have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and many lenses are designed to meet the needs of those with high prescriptions. If your teen has astigmatism you can get toric contact lenses.

Teens cannot have LASIK because they aren't old enough. As their eyes are constantly changing, their eyes could soon improve. When near-sightedness affects teens, it could have gone by the time they reach adulthood. As eyes can correct these problems themselves, it would be waste of everyone's time to have LASIK surgery.

An optician might come to the conclusion that glasses are more suitable at the moment for a teenager's lifestyle. Although they might believe that contact lenses aren't needed just now, an optician might suggest them in the future.