Last year we got contacts for my son, who was 13 at the time. He also wouldn't wear them. He had a terrible time putting them on. I guess they are quite large and his eyes don't open up that big.

He is a martial artist and should wear the contacts when he spars. But he just goes without glasses. So I am sure that effects his fighting.

And he also looks GREAT without glasses. He looks fine WITH them. But just like your daughter, we need to be able to see his eyes.

Oh well. At least it was just the TRIAL pair. I'm glad we didn't buy several months worth of lenses that would have sat in the cabinet.

the best thing a mom can do is be a friend when your child is 12 yrs old, this will make them feel secure and hence will never need a best friend.

Insanity - has our culture become so vain that parents need to hound their kids to wear contacts ? How about two generations ago, when contacts didn't exist. In my opinion, the child is wiser than the parents for not wanting to shove a foreign object in their eyes every day. Not that I condone a child talking back to a parent, however.

Like Renee, we have a sports issue with the contact lenses. For me, this is in part a safety issue. My daughter needs to be able to see while she's playing water polo. And she cannot see without glasses or contacts.

But she's not going easily into this. Last night when she got home from water polo practice, she took the lenses out and put them in the lids of her case -- and left the case open overnight.

So, she couldn't wear sticky, chlorine-filled contacts to school today.

Score one for her. The battle continues ...
Vicki

I have astigmatism and my lenses have been comfortable from day one. There was virtually no adjustment time needed. If you haven't already discussed this problem with your daughter's eye doctor, please do so. If you have, and he/she says this is normal, you might want to get a second opinion. In the meantime, perhaps your daughter could just wear the lenses when she's playing water polo. Another possible solution is to wear them for a few hours each night at home while she's getting used to them.

Hey Mary!
Thanks for your comment.

It's not the comfort so much as the vision. Her astigmatism is such that it takes a little adjustment to the new prescription. I have it too, and have had with every eye doctor I've been to in my life. Just a weird thing about our eyes. This is her second doctor in two years for the lenses.

She does wear the contacts just for water polo, but that's a pretty severe environment with pool water splashing in eyes contantly. I would like for her to be comfortable wearing the lenses so that she doesn't keep closing her eyes during games and scrimmages!

Vicki

My daughter is 11 y/o and she really want's to get contacts. I have a hard time thinking she can put them in, clean them, and take care of them in general so she does not hurt her eye's. Her room is a mess and she is very un-organized. She usually forgets to feed the cat, so how can I tell her it's okay to get contacts'?!?Can anyone out there tell me when is a good time to let her get contacts???
Thanks--KWK

KWK,

I can! My younger daughter, age 13, has been wearing contacts with no trouble for more than a year. She got them when she started 7th grade.

She's very good about cleaning and taking care of them and hardly ever loses one, even though her bedroom and her bathroom are a complete mess most of the time.

I think if your middle-school-aged child wants contact lenses, she should have them. Kids that age are so self-conscious, it's a small thing to do to help her feel less so.

And there's a really easy answer if she loses her lenses often or doesn't take care of them: You don't buy any more!

Vicki