When my sister was in elementary school, she started always sitting in the front row of desks at school. One of her teachers noticed this habit and arranged a meeting with my parents. This caring teacher told my parents that she thought my sister needed glasses. When my sister visited an optometrist, this professional diagnosed her with a severe case of astigmatism. He also informed my parents that she was nearsighted as well. Due to her eye issues, my sister had to start wearing glasses all of the time. Her new glasses helped her tremendously in school. She no longer had to sit in the front of the classroom in order to view the notes placed on the board. On this blog, you will discover the importance of getting your kids’ eyes checked by an optometrist before enrolling them in school.
Young adults can begin wearing contact lenses in their early teens, but this doesn't mean that this should be taken lightly. Contact lenses come with a level of responsibility that you need to ensure that your teenager can handle. If your teen wears glasses and would like to try out contacts, work with our optometrist to understand the risks and responsibilities for contacts. Here are four tips to get your teen ready for contact lenses and to assess if they can handle the care that comes with this.
1. Function Over Looks
If your child plays sports, contacts can help your child be more successful and be safer during athletic activities. If you are a skeptical parent, you might worry that contacts are wanted solely for looks. There are real functional necessities for contacts that might make certain activities easier for your teen.
2. Give Contacts a Trial Run
If your child really wants to test out contacts, you can work with your optometrist to prescribe a sample pair to try out. Strongly discourage your child to "practice" with their friends' contacts and get them a sample of their own to help rule out infections. Your child might not know if they will like the feel of contacts, so they should have a trial run to find out.
3. Importance of a Cleaning Regime
Teenagers can get lazy, but when it comes to contact care they must be diligent. Keep cleaning supplies and solutions on hand and make sure your teen has to-go sizes of cleaners that they can bring along with them throughout the day. Have your optometrist sit your child down and go over proper care and cleaning techniques.
4. Empower Your Child, But Check In
If your child does opt for contacts, make sure you understand the cleaning schedule and the length of time that these can be worn. You should keep track of prescription timing and have extra pairs of lenses on hand. This way your child doesn't have to go without contact or be tempted to wear contacts longer than suggested. Make sure your child doesn't get rid of their glasses in case these are ever needed as backup as well.
While teenagers are testing out different areas of their life to move into adulthood, a great way to give them an opportunity to be responsible is with contact lenses. Make sure that your teen understands that contacts are a medical prescription and need to be taken seriously. Remind them if they run into any issues to let you know so that the optometrist can take a look and augment their prescription if necessary.
For professional vision services, contact a company like Bass River Optometrics.
Share31 August 2015
