Contact Lenses for Teens

Contact Lenses and Teens

Show off the real you
Contact lenses provide a great combination of proper vision and natural looks. No more worrying about glasses that slide down, fog over or broken frames/lenses. No need to take off your glasses for school and family pictures or when you are self-conscious around friends.

Contact lenses are comfortable
Your Calgary Optometry Centre optometrist will help to pick the right lens to make you comfortable. When contact lenses are first put in, there is a sensation that something is in the eye. But your eyes will quickly adapt, similar to breaking in a new pair of shoes or jeans.

Contact lenses are easy to insert and remove
This is like learning any new skill, whether tying your shoes or learning how to drive. It is understandable to be slow and hesitant at first. With your optometrist and our staff training you along the way, insertion and removal of lenses will become as easy as putting on and taking off your shoes. You will also discover that you cannot lose a lens behind your eye, and done properly, you will not hurt your eyes when inserting or removing lenses.

Sports and recreation
Keen eyesight for sports and recreation is just as important as strength, speed and agility. Imagine playing sports without the hassles of wearing glasses. No more pushing them up every time they slide down your nose. No more fogging up with temperature changes. No more risk of breaking your glasses.

Better yet, better eye sight for those who don't wear their glasses now for sports because they are afraid of breaking their glasses or having them fall off. Teens can now also enjoy watersports to the fullest!

For Parents of Teens Who Want Contact Lenses…Is my teen ready or not?

Teens are not too young for contact lenses
Age by itself is not a limiting factor for wearing contact lenses. In general, our optometrists discuss with the parents of teens several factors: age appropriate maturity, hygiene/grooming habits and the teen's motivation level. This is then followed by a comprehensive eye exam and contact lens evaluation to further determine if your teen is a good candidate.

Teens can be responsible contact lens wearers
When your teen does not or cannot keep their room clean, you may think that they are not responsible enough to take care of contact lenses. This may not be a fair comparison. Cleaning their room is not a rewarding activity, so they usually don't have any motivation or enthusiasm to do it.

A better comparison would be to look at your teen's personal grooming habits. They probably spend a lot more time and detail on their appearance. This has usually been a good indicator that a teenager is a ready, willing and responsible contact lens wearer. Contact lenses will become a part of their daily grooming pattern. You usually won't have to remind them to wear or care for their lenses because they want to do it.

Contact lenses are not expensive
Contact lenses are surprisingly affordable. When compared to the cost of an average pair of glasses, the cost is about the same. Our optometrists usually recommend disposable lenses for teens which are inexpensive to replace (compared to glasses) if lost or prescriptions change.

Contact lenses can enhance your teen's performance
All our optometrists have seen firsthand how fitting a teen patient with contact lenses has improved school grades, sports performance and even social skills. There just seems to be a dramatic jump in self esteem and self confidence in their daily activities when wearing contact lenses compared to glasses.

Contact lenses are safe to wear
The current contact lens materials are allowing more oxygen to the eyes than ever before which means increased lens comfort and healthier eyes. Many of these contact lenses also have the highest ultraviolet radiation protection to help protect the eyes from this potentially harmful radiation.

Calgary Optometry Centre optometrists recommend disposable contact lenses for teens, which mean the lenses are changed frequently (new lenses ranging from every day to one month). When the lenses are replaced more often, lens cleaning is minimal and there is reduced risk of any eye health issues.

For teenagers and parents of teenagers, contact lenses can be a win-win situation for satisfying vision needs. Our goal is help teenagers see better and feel better. Please talk to your Calgary Optometry Centre optometrist for more information, at any of our three Calgary locations.