Every parent knows the true meaning of the word hectic. Our children and their seemingly countless sports activities transform us every day into mindless, zombie chauffeurs. We all do this because we want our kids to have every opportunity to grow and achieve. We spend small fortunes outfitting them with all the newest, most up-to-date equipment. . Yet in those kids that wear glasses, many parents are ignoring an essential piece of equipment: contact lenses.
On any given workday, I examine children that cannot properly see the ball, their coach or their fellow teammates, but are wearing $125 sneakers. Some of these kids do have glasses but have either broken, lost or mangled them beyond recognition. In addition, a lot of them complain that they can’t see well enough around the frames or the lenses often slide down their noses from sweating during games and practices.
Contact lenses are, more often than not, the best vision option for our active kids. They provide a full field of view without any eyeglass or rec specs frame getting in the way. Contacts will not bend or break during physical contact. They won’t fog up or slip off children’s noses. If a contact lens is lost or rips, the cost is only a tiny fraction of the cost to repair or replace eyeglasses.
Many parents are worried that their child may not be old enough to wear contact lenses. While this is a true concern, it is often overblown. I have found in nearly twenty years of practice, most all kids can be successful contact lens wearers if given the proper instruction and encouragement. Daily disposable contact lenses are an excellent first choice for kids. These lenses are worn for one day, and then thrown away. The wearer puts in a fresh, new pair every day. There is no need for disinfectant solutions or storage cases. Putting in a new pair of lenses every day is the single, best way to prevent lens deposits and infection.
We all want our kids to have the best of everything. Remember that giving them the best possible vision is worth far more than any shoe, bat, ball or racket.
Dr. Dan Beck
Eye Doctor, Wallace
Doctors Vision Center