How many years can wear contact lenses. For one day wear

In the modern world, there are more children with various eye diseases. These are acquired pathologies, and also began to occur and congenital eye defects.

For treatment, medication and physiotherapy are prescribed, as well as the constant wearing of glasses. But not all   children agree to wear glasses.

In adolescence, this is mainly due with fear of ridicule   classmates less often with inconvenience. And then contact lenses (CL) come to the rescue.

The advantages of contact lenses over glasses

Often this causes serious psychological trauma for the fragile children's psyche. And lenses are a good way to solve such a problem.

Fear of returning wearing glasses encourages the child to wear and take care of the products properly.

• Mobile lifestyle.   Children want to constantly run and jump. During outdoor games, glasses fall, break, and, accordingly, cause injuries to the eyes. With lenses, such difficulties do not arise. In addition, they allow you to engage in absolutely all sports, and even swim (provided that there is a mask).
• Great horizons.   Since the lens and the eye become one, there is no distortion, and peripheral vision becomes full, since the lenses do not have a frame, unlike glasses.
• KL are convenient in various weather conditions,   as they do not fog up and raindrops do not drip on them, unlike glasses.
• Some products protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation.
• There are fairly easy-to-care lenses - one-day.

Reasons for age restrictions

The first and only age limit   - this is a high responsibility. KL require careful installation so as not to damage the eye. They must be washed well (one-day exception) so that no protein deposits remain and there is no risk of infection.

How many years can I wear a product for vision correction with myopia?

Opinions of ophthalmologists on how old lenses can be worn vary slightly. One group   experts believe that no age restrictions, and you can wear products at any age.

Another group   says that you can try at the age of 8.

Third   - indicates that it is worth putting on products not earlier than at 14. By this time, the child will become more responsible, and the cornea and eyeball will fully mature.

Sometimes there are cases when the eye disease is congenital and then the wearing of products, as one of the methods of treatment, is even prescribed kids up to a year.

Important!   All types of lenses can only be used. after the permission of the ophthalmologist.

Types of contact lenses for a child

• As a first experience, one-day lenses will work.requiring minimal care, do not need special tools that can provoke an allergic reaction. The use of "one-day" twice is unacceptable.   If the child uses long-term lenses, then the optimal solution for their storage will be a multifunctional solution that is safe for the eyes.

Photo 1. Two hard night lenses are indicated for astigmatism, myopia, and other vision problems.

• It is also possible to use rigid gas permeable CR.   Thanks to the material of manufacture, they are easy to put on and take off.
• Sometimes prescribed nightly hard - allowed adolescents from 10-12 years.   They are prescribed for allergies and psychological intolerance of soft lenses, astigmatism, keratoconus, the strong development of myopathy, water and speed sports.

Reference!   The best option will be soft, spherical, silicone-hydrogel highly humidified   and breathability.

Experts do not name any contraindications, but recommend starting wearing this optical accessory. not earlier than at 14 years old.

Such lenses in their characteristics do not differ from ophthalmic and are intended for a complete change in eye color.

Modern color lenses they are divided into two types: with diopters and without diopters.   Thus, they carry both design and ophthalmic functions.

When are children with astigmatism allowed to wear the product?

Astigmatism - lens deformation   and curvature of the cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye. With a disease, objects are seen blurry and irregular (deformed) in shape.

Important!   Young children are born with a small degree of astigmatism, which decreases by the first year of life, and becomes equal to 1 diopter.   This is physiological astigmatism. It does not significantly affect vision and does not require treatment.

With this ailment, the child needs constant correction of vision. As a traditional method of treatment, glasses or CL are prescribed. A child can also wear an optical device without age restrictions, in especially acute cases it is prescribed even for infants. In the rest - it all depends on the degree of responsibility of the child. But usually it happens at 8-11 years old.

How old are lenses to wear? A question that interests many. Lenses are a great alternative to glasses. They are comfortable, practical, not felt. Some pluses. However, since how many years you can wear lenses - a question that should be answered.

Age restrictions

Age restrictions exist. How many years have lenses been worn? Specialists give the green light to wearing this invention from the age of 14. The thing is that by the age of 14 a person is already fully formed. At this age, it is equal in size to the cornea of \u200b\u200bany adult. So wearing lenses will not be able to affect its successful development.

However, it is worth noting that 14 years is not an unequivocal answer to the question of how many years you can wear lenses. There are exceptions, as elsewhere. Lenses can be prescribed for children. They have a special, small size. However, they are ordered in special centers with an ophthalmological profile. In other cases, children under 14 years old should wear glasses when

Since how many years you can wear lenses - clearly. Now we should talk about how to wear them correctly, what care is needed, etc.

Lens care

Many people think wearing lenses is easy. Yes, it is, in the process of wearing there really is nothing supernatural, because it is a very thin material that is comfortable to the eye and does not feel at all. However, careful care is required for the lenses so that they last a long time and are comfortable to wear, and so as not to spoil their vision.

Firstly. The lens should be picked up by a doctor. As a matter of fact, an ophthalmologist can find answers to many questions of interest: “at what age do lenses wear,” “which solution is best to use,” “for how many months you can wear them,” etc.

An ophthalmologist, before prescribing a lens, conducts diagnostics on modern equipment. After that, a prescription is written. It is also necessary to order lenses on it, but only in a special store or in optics. Before you start using them, you should read the instructions. Usually in optics, when lenses are given out, they are taught how to put them on correctly. Someone gets it right away, someone needs to work out - it all depends on skills. Some simply have an indefinite fear that a foreign body will be in the eye. However, after this very “foreign body” reaches the surface of the eye, you immediately forget about all the fears. At first, it may be unusual that everything is clearly and clearly visible without glasses, like “native eyesight”, but then you get used to it.

Matter of habit

They get used to the lenses gradually. On the first day they should be worn for an hour, on the second - two, on the third - three, and so on. Thus, both the eye and the person get used to it. The solution in the container where you want to store lenses must be changed daily. If, of course, for three days, for example, they did not dress, then you can leave him. The shelf life of the solution and lenses should be monitored. There are those that can be worn for a month, there are also three-month, daily. For every taste, as they say. However, the main thing is to change on time, otherwise you can spoil your eyesight or damage your eyes.

The main advantages of soft day lenses:

• increase visual acuity, while not distorting the natural shapes, sizes and colors of objects;
• with constant use they prevent the further development of myopia, improve and restore vision to normal;
• do not cause discomfort in the eyes, aesthetic inconvenience, and also do not limit the motor activity of the eyeballs during physical activity;
• provide the correct perception of the surrounding world by the children's brain, do not interfere with the normal physiological development of the eyes.

Night hard lenses

Use night contact lenses are allowed for children aged 10-12 years. Indications for use:

• allergic, inflammatory and psychological intolerance to soft day lenses;
• engaging in water or speed sports, which may accidentally flush the lens with water or dry out;
• significant progression of myopia;
• deformation of the lens or cornea -;
• the conical shape of the thinned cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye is keratoconus.

The advantages of using night ophthalmic lenses are the suspension of the development of myopia, a high chance of improving vision, a long period of operation - from 6 months to 1 year.

Indications for the appointment of contact lenses

Indications for the appointment of contact ophthalmic lenses for children:

• myopia;
• farsightedness;
• astigmatism;
• myopia;
• keratoconus;
• congenital aphakia;
• congenital;
• psychological and physical intolerance to glasses.

Contraindications

Wearing contact ophthalmic lenses is prohibited in the presence of the following factors:

• inflammatory diseases of the eyelid, cornea, inflammatory processes of the conjunctiva;
• subluxation of the lens;
• increased or decreased lacrimation;
• some cases of strabismus;
• decreased sensitivity of the cornea;
• uncompensated glaucoma;
• prolapse of the upper eyelid;
• xerophthalmia;
• asthma;
• hay fever;
• vasomotor rhinitis.

Even the lenses prescribed by all parameters may not be suitable for the child, in this case, a trip to the doctor is necessary to adjust the size and other nuances.

Contact lenses are transparent, small-sized hemispheres that are worn directly on the cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye. Their purpose:

• vision correction;
• cosmetic effect.

What are the lenses?

There are two types - softwhich in 90% of cases are used in ophthalmology, and tough.

Soft   needed for vision correction. Used for therapeutic, prophylactic and cosmetic purposes - prescribed for various degrees:

• myopia;
• hyperopia (farsightedness);
• astigmatism;
• aphakia - a violation after removal of a congenital or traumatic cataract;
• anisometropia - a different percentage of vision of the left and right eye;
• amblyopathy - the brain malfunctions worse than the seeing eye due to anisometropia.

Medical tough   orthokeratolytic lenses (OK lenses) for night use are prescribed to make the cornea more flat, as a result of which the angle of refraction of the rays on the retina of the eye is corrected. In this case, vision becomes normal for the next day.

In addition, they are cosmetic and decorative.

Decorativecan be worn to shock the shape or appearance of the pupil and iris in the form of geometric shapes, various patterns.

Cosmetic   change the color of the iris. Make:

• translucent - slightly changing the shade of the natural color of the iris;
• opaque - radically changing color.

Characteristics and types of soft lenses

They have two main quality characteristics:

1. Hold water inside.
2. Provide access of oxygen to the corneal mucosa.

Kinds:

1. Hydrogel   - made of polymers capable of absorbing water (up to 70%) and changing their properties depending on the amount of absorbed liquid - the more it is absorbed, the softer the coating becomes and the more oxygen is delivered to the mucosa.
2. Silicone hydrogel   - innovative, with corrective parameters, degree of softness, ability to pass oxygen, regardless of the percentage of liquid in them.

Important parameters

The external shape, size, physical, corrective and healing properties are determined by such characteristics:

• material used;
• radius of curvature;
• design and shape (spherical, toric, multifocal);
• diameter;
• cylinder axis;
• power of optical correction (in diopters);
• thickness of the center and edges;
• maximum wearing and replacement frequency.

At what age and what kind of lenses can children wear?

For children make special day soft and night, harder, OK lenses. Only an ophthalmologist has the right to prescribe, determine the appropriate type and parameters. His responsibilities also include training in the rules of use, as well as regular vision control during the entire time they are worn, the selection of other corrective parameters in case of improvement or deterioration.

It is very important to select exactly the right size, shape and necessary optical properties. This can only be done using special equipment. In this case, even with the most accurate survey data, the final choice should occur after trying on, checking the convenience and accuracy of the corrective effect.

For children, it is preferable to choose disposable ones that do not require hygienic cleaning and disinfection. When using lenses with frequent (1-2 weeks or a month) scheduled replacement, the risk of eye infection with improper care of them increases. Longer wearing periods are not assigned to children.

• Soft with corrective and healing effect   recommended by ophthalmologists children over 8 years oldable to already use them correctly on their own. There are no age restrictions for their appointment, but until the age of eight, parents are responsible for the safety of use. After all, they must be removed before bedtime, properly cleaned and placed in a special container for their storage. Young children may not always be able to abide by these rules.
• It is extremely rare and only with especially severe forms of myopia, astigmatism, with keratoconus, children are prescribed daytime tight gas permeable   (ZhGP).

The main advantages

• They improve the quality of vision without distorting the natural shapes, colors, sizes of objects around the world.
• Constant wearing them can stop the development of myopia, improve and even restore vision to normal.
• In addition, they do not cause discomfort, aesthetic inconvenience, do not limit motor activity during sports.
• A positive difference from glasses is that they provide the correct perception of the surrounding world by the children's brain and do not interfere with the normal physiological development of the eyes. All these properties are extremely important for correction.

Nightly

• allergic, inflammatory or psychological intolerance;
• high-speed or water sports, in which the lens may dry out or accidentally rinse off with water;
• significant progression of myopia;
• astigmatism - deformation of the cornea or lens;
• keratoconus is a cone-shaped thinned cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye.

The therapeutic, corrective and preventive efficacy of the latest generation of night-time OK lenses is a proven fact.

The main condition for the success of their application is ideally accurate individual selection for all basic parameters.

Plusis also a suspension of the development of myopia, a high probability of continuous improvement of vision, a long period of operation (from six months to a year).

Minus:

• the high cost of such lenses and ophthalmologist services;
• an unpleasant feeling of being in the eye of a foreign body until falling asleep;
• possible deterioration in the perception of the picture (blurry, double) during the first two weeks of getting used to them.

After a period of addiction, unpleasant phenomena should disappear. If side effects are observed in the future, then the ophthalmologist should decide on the free replacement of improperly selected night lenses, or on their cancellation and return to parents the full amount of money spent on them.

How to teach to use?

Initial training of the child and his parents in the basic rules for putting on lenses, their safe wearing, removing, processing and storage takes place in the office of an ophthalmologist. In the future, the responsibility of parents is to monitor compliance with these rules, to help him in everything, until the full development of all actions. It is very important in the evening to remove soft lenses, since during sleep there is a danger of their deep sinking under the upper eyelid. Getting them out of there is very difficult.

How to wear

1. Wash hands with soap and dry them with a disposable paper towel or napkin.
  2. Remove from the container, put the lens on the index finger of the right hand.
  3. Pull the lower and upper eyelids slightly with the fingers of your left hand.
  4. Carefully bring the index finger to the center of the eye and lightly touch the cornea. The lens should adhere to the mucosa itself.
  5. Release the raised eyelids and blink, helping to become her in her place.

How to take off

1. Wash and dry hands.
  2. Bury eyes with a moisturizing solution.
  3. Take a special stick with a suction cup with your right hand, and slightly pull your eyelids with your left fingers.
  4. Touch the suction cup to the center of the lens and pull lightly.

Cleaning rules

1. Rinse under clean running water, gently scrubbing with your fingers.
  2. Install it in the container holder, then lower it into a solution (preferably multifunctional) for its disinfection and storage.
  3. Close the container.

Contraindications

Contraindications for use are:

• inflammatory diseases of the eyes and eyelids;
• traumatic injuries of the cornea;
• allergic intolerance to lens materials;
• some diseases of the central nervous system.

Registered with ophthalmologists are many small patients with visual impairment. Myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism need correction with glasses, physiotherapy, special exercise therapy. However, children do not like to wear glasses, especially if they are active and seriously dance, lead a sporty lifestyle. The modern solution is contact lenses. They are invisible in the eyes, do not limit the review and help to achieve 100% vision.

In what cases is a child prescribed contact lenses?

Children need contact correction for medical and cosmetic reasons. Lenses are prescribed to be worn with myopia, farsightedness and when it is difficult or impossible to correct vision through glasses:

For cosmetic purposes, lenses are used for defects in the cornea and sclera in children. This is a thorn, a different eye color, albinism, scars and scars. Therapeutic correction is indicated for the elimination of eye burns, after keratoplasty, with severe dryness, wounds of the cornea.

Contraindications to wearing lenses in childhood:

• conjunctivitis;
• inflammatory processes of the eyelids;
• drooping eyelids;
• hay fever;
• divergence angle with strabismus more than 15 degrees;
• uncompensated glaucoma;
• dry cornea;
• violation of lacrimation.

Advantages and disadvantages of wearing contact lenses at an early age

  Children and adolescents are not an obstacle to the use of lenses. Among their advantages over glasses:

• increased self-esteem - no one will call a child bespectacled;
• freedom during games, travels, sports;
• field of view not limited by points;
• correction of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism.

Among the relative disadvantages of lens operation are:

• the need for daily lens care (after a month or two, it becomes a habit if the child is disciplined);
• regular change of lenses, purchase of solutions and other care products, which requires material costs and attention from parents;
• with careless handling, the child runs the risk of damaging the upper layer of the cornea and losing sight;
• allergic reactions to care products are possible;
• the risk of infection (if the child changes lenses with dirty hands), erosion, inflammation of the conjunctiva.

At what age can contact lenses be worn by children and how safe are they?

  How many years can contact lenses be used? This question is often asked by ophthalmologists by parents who do not want their children to wear glasses. There are no certain restrictions, however, it is believed that the child should be ready to take care of the accessories on their own. It is advisable to switch to them in adolescence - 12-14 years. However, some experts call an earlier age - 8-10 years.

Each case is examined by a doctor separately. If an eight-year-old does not want to wear glasses and parents are willing to pay for lenses, special training is provided. The kid learns to wear and remove them, to properly care for. For therapeutic purposes, lenses are prescribed even in infancy. Their wearing is justified for any degree of myopia and a difference in vision in children. The main thing is to regularly undergo medical examinations to prevent retinal detachment.

Ophthalmologists claim that the lenses are completely safe for children, subject to the rules for wearing them. The human eye is ready for contact with them from birth, and sometimes a similar correction is necessary for babies. For safety, children should take them off at night, not let them measure them to their peers, use only the set time and regularly change for new ones.

The most suitable models for children and the nuances of their application

For children, one-day wearing lenses are the right choice. They do not need care and are safe for children's eyes. Due to the high cost of such accessories, ophthalmologists recommend soft planned lenses for children (hydrogel, silicone-hydrogel). They can be updated monthly. Such accessories need constant care, which requires consciousness from the child.

Lenses, which are subject to change every 2-3 months, are not recommended for preschoolers and primary schoolchildren in order to avoid eye infection.

When selecting contact lenses for children, specialists take into account the gas permeability of the models (indicated by Dk / L). The sensitivity of the cornea in children is reduced, so the level of oxygen permeability should be sufficient for proper gas exchange. Before buying a lens, a child needs an ophthalmologist consultation, which takes the following form:

• conversation with the child and parents, determination of readiness to switch to lenses;
• clarification of the radius of curvature of the cornea and optical power, diagnostic measures;
• measurements of pupil and iris diameters;
• determination of the degree of lacrimation, which may interfere with the use of devices;
• figuring out which lenses are best for your child;
• fitting;
• assessment of stabilization, lacrimation, mobility during blinking, reaction of a small patient;
• with a positive result - self-study training.

For some pathologies (severe myopia, keratoconus), hard lenses may be shown to the children. It is difficult to wear them, the body perceives it as a foreign body. Many children find it very difficult to get used to such corrective devices.

For some time, parents will have to control how correctly and regularly the child fulfills medical recommendations. Children may be lazy or forget to wear lenses in the morning and take them off in the evening. They do not always observe hygiene when putting on optics, forget to change the liquid in the storage container, and neglect safety rules. Under the control of the parents, the child’s habit of taking good care of the lenses quickly and quickly will be brought to automaticity.

Do contact lenses correct vision?

Parents worry if the student’s vision may deteriorate when using lenses. This is indeed sometimes observed. However, the reason is not the accessories themselves, but a significant visual load. Vision loss can be avoided with the proper organization of the day. Thus, soft lenses do not correct vision and do not inhibit the progression of myopia.

There are special orthokeratological hard lenses. They are worn before bedtime for non-surgical vision correction. The result is achieved by the impact of accessories on the cornea and giving them an anatomically correct shape. A good effect is expressed with myopia from -1.5 to -4 diopters. The advisability of using such lenses for a son or daughter in each case should be obtained from the attending eye doctor.

Subject to the rules for care and wearing, lenses are safe in childhood. The eyes of babies quickly adapt to optical accessories, so the latter can be shown at any age. The selection of a suitable pair is carried out by an experienced eye doctor. It takes into account the age of the child, the purpose of the correction, the financial capabilities of the parents. Accessories help children see the world clearly and vividly, which is important for a happy childhood.