Contact lenses ‘great for children’

Children as young as eight can benefit from wearing contact lenses to correct poor vision, a new study has revealed.

Optometrists in America found that youngsters enjoyed the same benefits as teenage children and adults who wear contact lenses, with improvements to their quality of life as well as their sight.

They were better able to take part in activities such as playing sport or dancing, felt their appearance was better and were pleased with the improvements to their vision, according to the research published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science.

“In other words, young children have the same concerns over their method of vision correction as the rest of us; they care about their appearance and feel that contact lenses make them look better,” commented the European Council of Optometry and Optics.

“They recognise that the use of contact lenses, as opposed to spectacles, frees them to enjoy themselves more through the physical activities that play such a significant role in the lives of most children in this age group. Furthermore, they feel that the quality of vision provided by contact lenses is better than that provided by spectacles.”

Nearly 500 children were involved in the three-year study, authored by the Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment Group, and all suffered from short sight.

Previous research has found that youngsters are just as capable of wearing contact lenses as adults in terms of hygiene routines, inserting and removing them correctly and comfortable wear.