Contact lenses are appropriate for a child not when he reaches a certain age, but by his maturity level and ease of handling the lenses, says All About Vision. Your child may ask you to replace his glasses with contact lenses when he begins noticing his appearance, or if he is active in sports. Consult his optometrist and ask her opinion of your child's readiness. Once he receives his soft contact lenses, be patient as you help him become comfortable with inserting and removing his lenses and how to care for them.
Step 1
Tell your child to wash her hands and dry them on a lint-free towel. The lint from regular towels easily clings to fingers, and she may end up with a piece of lint under her contact lens, which is very painful. Explain that she should wash her hands before she puts in or takes out her lenses to help prevent contaminating her lenses.
Step 2
Put a mirror on a clean counter and remind him to insert and remove his contacts over a counter rather than a sink. Teach him to lean forward so if the lens falls off his finger, it will fall onto the counter and not onto the floor. If he does not want to use a countertop mirror, let him use a wall mirror.
Step 3
Tell her to always start with the same eye when inserting her lenses to avoid mixing them up. Open the right or left lens case and leave the other side closed to avoid confusion. Tell her to remove the lens from the solution using the pad of her index finger. If she has long nails, trim her nails until she is used to removing the lens with shorter nails. The contact lens will cling to her finger and she can then lift her finger out of the case.
Step 4
Show him how to balance the lens on the end of his finger to determine if the lens is inside out. If inside out, it will flare out at the edges. A right-side-out lens will look like a bowl with straight sides. If the lens is inside out, have him push the lens down over the top of his finger, cup the edges together, turn it right side out and reposition it on his finger. He may need to rinse his lens after handling it as it dries quickly.
Step 5
Ask her to hold her upper and lower eyelid open with her free hand by putting her middle finger on her lower eye area and her index finger above her eyelashes. Instruct her to look in the mirror and slowly put the contact lens on the white part of her opened eye. Tell her not to blink and slide the lens slightly upward. Ask her to take her finger away from her eye and look down. Instruct her to slowly close her eye over the contact lens. When she opens her eye, make sure the lens feels comfortable. Repeat with the other eye, using her dominant hand to insert both lenses and using her weaker hand to hold open her eyelid.
Tips and Warnings
- Using a dry finger to insert his lens will make the wet lens easier to stick to the eye. Teach your child proper hygiene and cleaning techniques. Be alert to signs of eye infection or irritation.
- Follow the doctor's recommendation on how long to wear the lenses in the beginning.
Things You'll Need
- Hand soap
- Lint-free towel
- Mirror
- Contact lens case
- Contact lenses
- Nail trimmer (optional)
- Contact lens solution
