Who Can Wear Contact Lenses?
Modern lens preparing technologies mean that virtually any sight issue that can be corrected by lenses can be treated with contact lenses. There are some considerations to be made for children and older people which will be discussed below, but if you are eligible for glasses, you are likely to be well suited to contacts.
Why can I wear contact lenses?
Almost anyone can wear contact lenses because the way they work is very simple. Like other corrective lenses, a contact lens is designed to compensate for your eyes where they are unable to correctly view an object. This can be for any one of a number of reasons, but ultimately the end result is that an image can be blurry or out of focus. What a contact lens does is adjust where light is focused on the eye so that you have a crystal clear image before you.
Contact lenses are generally made out of plastics at present, and are placed on your eyes themselves, or more specifically, on each eye’s tear film. The tear film is a layer of water, oils, and mucus that protects your eye and keeps it moist and infection free. Your optician will instruct you in the correct way to take a lens and pop it on this tear film, a process which is simple and convenient, leaving you with pristine vision without the hassle of glasses.
Can children wear contact lenses
Strictly speaking children are perfectly well suited to wear contact lenses. Many would rather not have bear the burden of schoolyard abuse for wearing spectacles, and others just feel more confident wearing contacts. Either way, more and more parents and their children are seeking contacts over glasses, and the benefit of starting kids off on their contacts at an early age include ease of playing certain sports and getting them into good habits in terms of putting their contacts on and off. Contacts won’t break like glasses do when they fall off in the chaos of the schoolyard, and indeed provide a greater clarity of vision, particularly in their periphery, that makes accidents less likely to happen.
The main point to be made about children wearing contacts is that it is a question of maturity and responsibility. Can your child follow the rules of safely wearing their contacts? This question can only really be answered by the child’s parents, and in any case, if you are considering contact lenses for your child, then you should discuss the subject with your optician who will be able to provide you with any information and/or advice that you need.
Contact lenses for older people
As we age we grow more prone to eye problems like dryness and increased photosensitivity (sensitivity to light). However in many cases your eye sight can stabilize in later years, meaning that your prescription won’t change as much, if at all, and making contacts an easier option as you don’t need to reorder them every so often. Issues like dryness etc can be a consideration for contact lenses amongst older age groups, and to determine your suitability for lenses you should arrange to see your optician to discuss the matter.
« What Do Contact Lenses Do? Contact Lenses & Dry Eyes »
- Prescription Sunglasses
- Is It Cheaper To Buy Glasses Online?
- Choosing Eyeglass Frames
- What are Contact Lenses?
- What Do Contact Lenses Do?
- Who Can Wear Contact Lenses?
- Contact Lenses & Dry Eyes
- Can I Wear Contact Lenses Overnight?
- Contact Lenses when Playing Sports
- Contact Lenses & Conjunctivitis
- Contact Lenses & Glaucoma
- Contacts Lenses after Cataract Removal
- Are Contact Lenses & Coloured Contacts Safe?
- Disposable Daily Contact Lenses
- Extended Wear Contact Lenses
- Varifocal Contact Lenses
- Bifocal & Trifocal Contact Lenses
- Soft Contact Lenses versus Gas Permeable Lenses
- How do I put my Contacts In and How do I take them Out?
- How Can I Become an Optician?
- Contacts lenses or Eye glasses?
OPTICIANS
- Find Opticians
- Opticians Guide
- Eye Tests at an Optician's
- Opticians Costs
- NHS Opticians
- Conditions an Optician Deals With
- Opticians & Children's Eye Tests
- Low Vision & Opticians
- Are Private Eye Tests Better than NHS Eye Tests?
- How Can I Book an Eye Test?
- What is Corporate Eye Care?
- How Are Eye Tests Funded in Scotland?
- How Often Should I Visit the Optician?
- Why Are My Eyes Dry?
- Why Are My Eyes Sore?
- Why Is My Vision Blurry?
- Why Is My Vision Clouded?
- Maintaining Eye Health
- Differences between an Optician, Optometrist, & Ophthalmologist
- What are Eyeglasses/Spectacles?
- When do I Need New Glasses?
- What are Bifocal & Trifocal Glasses?
- Progressive Lenses
- Reading Glasses
- Sunglasses and Designer Sunglasses
