Understanding Proper Care when it Comes to Contact Lenses

Our eyes are the windows to the world around us, and with our kids we want to ensure that their precious eyes are taken care of properly. We take them to the eye doctor every year to have their vision checked and get the prescribed eye wear that they might need. And as our kids grow, we want them to grow into the beautiful people they will be and we encourage them to be comfortable with their own looks. So as a parent who wears contacts and who has a preteen daughter who finds that being able to wear contacts makes her feel better about her appearance, I not only accommodate her when it comes to her eye wear, but I also want to ensure that she understands the importance of keeping her contacts clean.

For myself and my own experiences with contact lenses, I like knowing that they are not only the most popular form of vision correction products, but they are also the safest when used properly. And when it comes to contact lenses for kids, I feel safe with the fact that optometrists find that most children age 10-12 are able to not only wear contacts but also care for their contact lenses properly.

As a parent, when it comes to my daughter and her choice to wear contact lenses, I want her to understand the handling and care.. This is because if contacts are not used as directed by the doctor, they can be dangerous and even cause damage to the eyes. So when it comes to caring for our contacts, I like to make it a routine just like brushing our teeth, with my daughter, making it a habit and also so she too understands the importance of proper care.

I find creating a habit of caring for our contacts to be very important because when the American Optometric Association conducted the 2015 American Eye-Q® Survey, they found that more than half of Americans wear disposable contact lenses longer than it is suggested by the doctors and the brands. And with this, it can cause permanent eye damage from bacterial infections and oxygen deprivation.

So to help with caring for our eyes and our contacts, I not only take them out before bed, but when we go to either put in or take out our contact lenses, we first wash our hands. I also use the multi purpose cleaning solution that we soak our contacts in, to cleanse our contacts before we put them in their containers for the night. Then when it comes to implementing habits with my daughter that she will hopefully continue to follow throughout life when she wears contacts, I also show her how to clean out her contacts case and teach her how to always use fresh solution when storing contact lenses. Making it so when we put in our contacts each day, I can feel good knowing that my daughter and I have properly cared for our contact lenses.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.