What age should my child be?

Contact lenses work best for those in their teenage years, although there are some cases of 10 or 11 year olds being motivated enough to begin. Typically, younger patients only begin if they need to continue participating in an activity at an advanced level. Hygiene and regimentation are essential to anyone considering contact lenses. Almost any eye (even in patients with thick glasses) can be fit with contact lenses. The appropriate age is, ultimately, a family decision. If you are insecure in this decision, please feel free to discuss it with Dr. Keys. Keep in mind, ocular phobias, allergies and the child’s indecision can all be disqualifying factors for contact lens candidacy.

How do we get contact lenses?

If you decide to have our office dispense contact lenses, we will proceed as follows:
1. After your child’s annual eye exam, make an appointment for a Contact Lens Fitting. About one hour will be spent trying on contact lenses and taking additional eye measurements. Your child will have an opportunity to see what lenses are all about before you actually make the purchase. Lenses are ordered that day.

2. One to two weeks later, during a Contact Lens Training, approximately one hour is spent with verbal and written instruction. Before taking lenses home, the patient must demonstrate their ability to successfully instill, remove, and clean their own lenses.

3. To ensure proper eye health, corneal adaptation, and patient compliance, follow up visits are scheduled after dispensing the lenses. Typically these visits occur one week and then one month or a few months later. Occasionally, additional visits are needed during the first 3 months of wear. These additional visits will be included in your initial contact lens package price.

4. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are all included in the initial contact lens package price. Call for more specific details about pricing and payment plans.

A recent routine eye exam must be completed before contact lenses can be considered because as children grow their eyes and vision change. Last year’s measurements are not accurate for determining the correct prescription for contacts. The complete eye exam fee is not related to, and not included in, the contact lens package price

What if I want to get lenses elsewhere?

Contact lenses are sold at a variety of retail outlets. Unfortunately, our office sees the complications from contact lenses fit elsewhere. Although contact lens fitters at retail stores may be addressed as “doctor” they are not M.D.’s or ophthalmologists. If your child has a complication you will not want to call the contact lens salesperson at “Elsewhere Discount Optical” for emergency treatment.  However, if you choose to go elsewhere, simply take your child’s eyeglass prescription to the contact lens store and have them do the fitting and dispensing. We cannot give you a specific prescription for contact lenses because the prescription is not finalized until complete fitting and follow up determines the safety of a specific contact fit and design. We cannot assume responsibility for contact lenses fit elsewhere.