First pair of contact lenses

[Anonymous]

My DD 12 wants to get contact lenses. I nor my DH have ever worn glasses/contacts so neither of us knows much about it. Is this a good age to get them? Are disposable better than non-disposable? About how much do they cost?

[Anonymous]

12 years old is fine. Yes disposable. No real care required for them. Costs depends on your insurance.

[Anonymous]

12 is a good age if she needs corrective lenses all the time. Daily disposables are hassle-free and very comfortable. I think I spend about $500 annually.

[Anonymous]

Definitely get dailies. They are easier and healthier for your eyes.

[Anonymous]

Mine, with insurance paying what they do, costs $67 for a year's worth. I change mine every month. It costs less to buy online than from the eye doctor.

I was allowed to get contacts as soon as I was capable of putting them in and taking them out myself. It happened when I was 13, but if I'd been able to do it at 11 it would have been fine.

Just so you're prepared, when I first started wearing them it took me an HOUR in the mornings to get them in. Eventually 20 minutes, then 2 minutes. Also, we used to joke that my brother's eyes had teeth and would eat his contacts. He is convinced that when he dies if they do an autopsy they will find about a dozen contact lenses pushed up in his brain - several times he had contacts just .... disappear. It's most likely that they fell out and he didn't notice, but we joke his eye ate them. He wasn't doing anything irresponsible - it just happened.

[Anonymous]

I get two week lenses, that theoretically you are allowed to sleep in. I think these are cheaper than the daily disposables, but I'm not sure about that.

I take them out nightly, though. But they wouldn't kill my eyes if I fell asleep in them, like if I had to pull an all-nighter, or close, for studying or something (I'm thinking college).

It's great for sports. That's what pushed me to get them.

[Anonymous]

I'd have her wait until winter break from school to allow her plenty of time to practice putting them. Even after 25 years I still have mornings when it seems they just won't go in correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have her wait until winter break from school to allow her plenty of time to practice putting them. Even after 25 years I still have mornings when it seems they just won't go in correctly.

28 years here and I had one of those mornings today. Tired, uncoordinated. "Come ON.. , really?? WTH is going on??" Yup, having a conversation with myself in the mirror.

OP the dispenser will show her how to put them in. It's a good recommendation to have her try them first over a holiday because they can be frustrating to start with. I don't know how they handle it now, but I had to work up to all day wear.

I have one month disposables. I still take them out overnight every couple of weeks. I'm not sure about those for kids.. dailies are probably better. DH still has the "old" ones that have to be cleaned every night.

[Anonymous]

23:59 again. My 8 year old niece just got contacts for sports. Only for sports. She got the darn things in the first try and apparently rarely has a problem with it.

[Anonymous]

I was only a little bit older when I got them. I also vote disposables. They have them for different lengths of time and my doctor said it's fine to stretch them out a little longer (say, 4 weeks instead of 2) to cut costs as long as I take care of them. There are a LOT of options for her!

[Anonymous]

My DD got them last year at 13. The dailies cost about 3 times as much and our eye dr did not think it was justified. She loves them and we have had no issues.

[Anonymous]

OP here - Thanks for all the feedback and especially the tip about getting them over a holiday. That makes sense.

It seems there are different varieties of disposables? some you wear for a while and then throw out and some that you throw out every day? Is that right?

Will they cover cleaning and things like that assuming we don't go with disposables at the optometrist?

[Anonymous]

My DD got her first pair when she was 6. Now, before you blast me, listen. At age 5, her left eye was significantly weaker than her right eye. She had excellent binocular vision and in her right eye but her left eye was extremely nearsighted. The eye doctor recommended a contact but, as a 30 year wearer of contacts I thought, 'I'm not getting a contact for a 5 year old!'. For a year, we tried glasses and patching her her. Her vision continued to deteriorate and if the brain didn't get a clear signal from that eye, she was in danger of developing a lazy eye. So, the staff taught my DD at age 6 how to put in and take out a contact. They did an awesome job and she was able to do it. Occasionally, we'd need to help her with it but I was amazed at how well she did. She's now 11 and wears them in both eyes.

We pay $110 for a fitting and a years worth of contacts cost about $100.

[Anonymous]

I started wearing contacts at 12, after years of breaking glasses during sports and other things. There was probably a little vanity involved too.

I thought it was a good age. It does take some practice to get them in and out ... but based on watching my dad try them at the same time I did, I'm not sure that learning process would be any easier for an adult than for a 12 year old.

"Disposables" come in either a daily variety (throw away after a single use) or slightly longer period like 2 weeks of use. I like the 2-week kind for consistent use. The dailies are great if you plan to wear glasses most of the time but want some contacts available for the occasional sporting event or other activity. Like another pp, my 2-week kind claim that I can sleep with them in, but I've always found them more comfortable if I take them out overnight. It is nice to not have a strict limit on how many hours I can have them in, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Thanks for all the feedback and especially the tip about getting them over a holiday. That makes sense.

It seems there are different varieties of disposables? some you wear for a while and then throw out and some that you throw out every day? Is that right?

Will they cover cleaning and things like that assuming we don't go with disposables at the optometrist?

Yes, some people throw them out each day and some (like me) throw them out every month. So I have 12 for each eye.
The optometrist will teach your DD how to care for/clean her contacts. Which saline, etc. to use. SHE has to do this - you can't do it for her.

BTW, if her eyes get dry while wearing contacts, Blink eye drops are great and can be used with contacts in. I carry Blink in my makeup case in my purse.