Benefits of Contact Lens Wear for Children and Teens

Abstract

Contact lenses significantly improved the quality of life, as reported by children and teens using the PREP, and there was not a difference in improvement between children and teens. Contact lens wear dramatically improves how children and teens feel about their appearance and participation in activities, leading to greater satisfaction with their refractive error correction. The improvement in quality of life after contact lens wear indicates that children should be offered contact lenses as a treatment for refractive error as routinely as teens.

Do glasses change children’s perceptions? Effects of eyeglasses on peer- and self-perception

“…Lyon and colleagues compared children with and without glasses on several dimensions of the self-concept-finding no negative, perhaps even a positive effect of glasses-but, given their small sample of children with glasses, it is difficult to make conclusions. A larger, recent study (Walline et al, 2009) addressed self-esteem in 8-to 11-year-olds who received contact lenses or continued to wear glasses (Walline et al, 2007). Over a three-year period, children's global self-esteem did not differ, but children who wore contact lenses showed a relatively more positive development in their self-perceptions of physical appearance and athletic competence.…”

The Prevalence and Impact of High Myopia

“…125 The QoL in children wearing contact lenses compared with that in those wearing spectacles has further been investigated using the Pediatric Refractive Error Profile questionnaire. 126,127 The level of myopia had no impact on the results within each group, but higher QoL was found in contact lens wearers compared with spectacle lens wearers. Greater satisfaction with contact lenses resulted in an improved perception of appearance and more participation in physical activities.…”

“…Greater satisfaction with contact lenses resulted in an improved perception of appearance and more participation in physical activities. 126,127 The Impact of High Myopia on QoL in Adults Reduced best-corrected visual acuity has been shown to impact QoL in adults and may be caused by eye diseases such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. 128 Ametropia is also an important factor, and the correction of refractive errors has been shown to improve QoL significantly compared with uncorrected refractive errors.…”

Ultraviolet Absorption by Contact Lenses and the Significance on the Ocular Anterior Segment

“…Several studies have shown that fitting children between the ages of 8 and 12 years is comparable with fitting older children in terms of satisfaction, compliance, and ease of fit. 88,89 A recent report by Rah et al 90 has found that contact lens wear improves vision-related quality of life in children when compared with spectacle wear, especially in the area of athletics. In this regard, UV-blocking contact lenses might provide a viable option for the eyes of children and teenagers, particularly those who spend large amounts of time outdoors.…”