There are several companies that offer subscriptions to both lenses and cleaning solution. They send you new bottles and lenses at appointed times. Usually flat packets that fit through you mail slot, if you don’t have an outside mail box.
That saves you and your kid the hassle of reminding yourselves to change lenses and buy cleaning solution.
snip.
Believe it not, he might. It actually doesn’t take that long for the body to begin adjusting the fine motor skills to corrected vision. That isn’t to say he’ll suddenly become a star athlete; he won’t, but feeling more confident in his abilities might make him more open to the idea of playing around physically. Though glasses hardly bear the stigma they used to, going without them can help in his confidence socially as well.
I’ve been wearing contacts for 28 years, - started when I was 16. I’ve worn them essentially every day. Started with replace-yearly soft lenses, now I’m wearing 2 week disposables. I found that as long as you clean them daily according to instructions, there’s no issues. I usually take them out an hour or 2 before bed, so they’re in 14-16 hours/day.
Only time I don’t put them in is if I’m sick enough to stay home from work, since that means I’ll probably be falling asleep in front of the TV anyway.
I would recommend starting with a daily disposable lens, no lens cleaning required, should be the most comfortable choice, and not a big deal if you lose one. I had really no problem wearing them, very little adjustment and didn’t feel like there was a piece of plastic stuck to my eye, though did feel ‘something’ when I blinked. It will also give him a chance to see if he wants the contact lens routine. It may also be the cheapest if he just tries them out but decides he doesn’t want them. It would also give him a opportunity to try it out a bit more then the eye dr will evaluate him for and learn if the sizing is correct. He may find through use that there are some issues in the sizing that didn’t show up at first, so a revisit may be needed anyway, at which time a different size and lens duration selection could be made.
I don’t see any issue with a teenager using them, there are certain advantages with contacts over glasses that go beyond sports and girls. It gives a less obstructed view of life, less encumbrance and a more natural feeling.
I would like to say that if you go the route of ‘if you want them pay for them yourself’ can have some unintended consequences, that of wearing their lens too long to save money. Chances are that will be OK, as I have worn daily disposables up to a week straight, but I would think you would want him to change them on schedule and not give him a reason to extend that beyond their stated design. Even in this example by Joey P, it was only the 1st time that his mom made him pay.
And I would also check out Lens.com, I found them cheeper then 800 contacts.
Both my kids started wearing contacts at 14. So far so good.
It seems to me that your knowledge of contacts is at least 20 years out of date. I remember when I was 13-14 (ahem, 25 years ago), some of my friends got contacts; it was a pain and a committment. You had to clean them, sanitize them, deproteinize them, take them out/put them in every day, etc. There were all sorts of tablets, liquids, and devices you were supposed to own. Nowadays with disposables, most people I know who wear contacts just have a bottle of Renu and a holder for when they’re not wearing them, and just throw them out every couple of weeks. It really couldn’t be simpler.
I don’t wear contacts because my eyes are just too sensitive. No one, including myself, could get the contact anywhere near my eye without the lid clamping shut. I started the extemely uncomfortable desensitizing regime suggested by my eye doctor, and after a week realized I just didn’t care enough. I’m fine with my glasses and I like the way they look. But its ridiculously easy to manage contacts nowadays.
To add to the chorus, I got mine when I was 12, and they were pretty life-changing.
Seconded. I can’t imagine life without them.
Oh, I know it is that’s why I asked here. No one in my immediate circle has stuck with contacts. I myself only started wearing glasses last year. My mostly nearsighted relatives are far more fluent in the eyeglass lingo and my son’s turned to them with questions as he’s gotten used to wearing his.
So many of you have mentioned the boost in confidence. To me he seems ten times more confident than I was at his age, but ten times a tiny amount is still a fairly small amount. I’m won over to the notion of contacts if I can manage it.
Thanks again for your help.
I’ve worn rigid gas-permeable lenses since I was 11 or 12. I have always had an old pair of glasses as a backup, but don’t wear them short of an emergency. Even with a current prescription I just do not see as well with glasses (astigmatism), and I prefer to see, thanks.
I ask at every exam whether anyone has come up with soft lenses that would work for me, but my doc shoos me away from them saying I won’t see as well. And frankly, I’m not spending that kind of money for something that works less well than what I’ve got.
They’ve gotten easier to clean over the years, too… when I started it required a cleaning solution, saline, AND a weekly enzyme cleaner. Now it’s all in one, and I basically pop 'em out at night, give them a quick rub in solution and soak them in the same solution overnight. No problems.
I wore rigid gas-permeable lenses successfully from 16 to my mid-20s, maybe 25. I switched from soft, which I’d worn starting at age 12, because my astigmatism got too bad. Around age 25, they became increasingly uncomfortable to wear for unknown reasons… after close to 10 years of success wearing them comfortably.
About 2.5 years ago I complained and my eye doctor ordered me a new pair he thought would feel better. They didn’t help at all, and rigid gas permeables are not cheap, as I’m sure you know.
A little over 1 year ago I want back and pleaded for help, so he prescribed restasis for dry eyes. This also did not help.
This February, I decided to get a 2nd opinion before giving up entirely. I already only wore contacts for exercise/sports, because I couldn’t stand them for more than a few hours. Actually I decided to see another doctor after I couldn’t make it though a 90 minute yoga class without popping them out even though I put them in right before class.
So anyway, I see this new doctor and tell him my story and he says “Well you seem to have tried everything to make the rigid gas-permeable lenses work, let’s order some soft lenses and see how your vision is”.
With the soft lenses - vision is amazing. Comfort is amazing. Best $50 experiment I ever did.
I do close computer work all day, so I thought best case scenario maybe I’d need to wear glasses for work but would have good enough vision with my contacts for social activities. No need, I can see incredibly clearly with my new soft contacts even reading source code for hours and hours.
I can look up my exact astigmatism tonight if you want to compare.
Adding my 2 cents here :
I got my contacts at 12. I got the soft lenses, that were permanent (not disposable). Big mistake for me, as I wasn’t that responsible then. These lenses required daily cleaning and weekly soaks; I was rather lax with regards to maintenance. I wound up ulcerating my left cornea, couldn’t see right for a week.
I don’t say this to scare you away from contacts, though. Since then (this was '93 or '94 when I injured my eye) they’ve moved onto more disposable contacts that require less maintenance. I haven’t had an issue since, and I would reccomend going that route were you to get contacts for your son.
Contacts got me to 20/15 vision; I was able to handle sports with my contacts in, as well as just plain seeing anything better.
*Please keep in mind, I am absolutely AWFUL at keeping up with regular maintenance, though, even well into my 30’s, so it’s definitely a personality quirk and not just being a teen. YMMV, and whatnot.
Join the rest of us and start using Clear Care. The maintenance is no more work then soaking them overnight and it cleans them by itself.
I’ve never known anyone who has given up contacts because they had problems with them. Some people prefer glasses, for the look or for the convenience of just putting them on, no soaking, removing, whatever, but I’ve never heard of serious problems.
If he gets them, just make sure he is good about cleaning, removing, and all that. If he’s an absentminded, messy kid it might be better to wait, but if he’s responsible (for a 14 year old), I would have no problem with it. As far as insurance, I’ve never had a vision plan that wouldn’t cover them. YMMV, of course.
I have soft contacts, the kind that can be slept in and worn straight through for a week, but I prefer to remove them every night. Soak in solution overnight, put back in, throw out in a month and start with a new pair. No issues. There’s a learning curve at first, they can be tricky to get in and out, but that doesn’t last. Within a week or so, it becomes second nature.
My kids are still pre-school age and do not need glasses, but I assume they will. If they are reasonably responsible I’m OK with contacts from maybe 12 or so.
Another vote for daily disposable. It completely removes the cleaning aspect. As for wearing these lenses for more than a day - reputedly they are the same exact product as other longer wear contacts, just packaged and marketed differently.
I’ve worn soft contact lenses for the last 30 years. Put them in when I wake up and take them out when I go to bed. I currently wear the 02Optix. They are the extended wear lenses, but on the advice of my opthamologist, I take them out every night. Just put them in a generic brand multi-purpose solution (no rubbing, or cleaning) at night and put them back in the next morning. After two weeks, I throw them away and put in a new pair. No problems.
My son has been wearing soft contact lenses for the past 6 years, since he was 11.
I’ve since moved on to monthly pairs, and I use something similar (Opti-Free no rub) which removes the gunk while soaking!
I do still tend to rub them 2-3 times a week though, as my eyes seem to be more gunk-filled (gunkalicious?) than most others.
Even if glasses do end up being the better option for him, I think it’s a better idea to let him discover that first-hand rather than assure him that because his aunt Milly didn’t like them, he won’t either.
Also, to address your worry of having to drive to the store for solution at 10:00 PM: it’s a good idea to keep a pair of glasses around even after you switch to contacts. If he has glasses, than some of those “emergencies” you envision will have their status reduced to “errands.”
(For the record, I’ve worn contacts for 10 years.)
I got a lot better at baseball when I got contacts. I was no longer afraid the ball would hit me in the face and break my glasses. I can remember saying to myself “oh my god it is easier to catch the ball when you keep your eye one it!”
I first got hard lenses when I was 14. I got soft about 10 years ago. Until recently I would not have even *considered *giving up my contacts.
Now at 50, I’m finding I need readers and I’m starting to think that if I need glasses anyway I might as well not even wear contacts. But I’m not quite ready to give them up.