At what age can kids start wearing contact lenses?

So, about contact lenses... how far back does that go?

18

It’s funny how it works—that moment when parents suddenly decide their kid is "mature enough" to shoulder an absurd amount of responsibility all at once.

I first started wearing them when I was fifteen, back when they were still a relatively new thing here in the States. I never ran into any issues at all.

There aren't any limits. My eye doctor even told me that 9-year-olds are wearing contacts just fine these days...

Betty Patel17 said:I actually started wearing them when I was 15, back when they were still a brand-new thing here in the States! I never had any issues at all.

They really became mainstream toward the end of the '70s.

It’s actually pretty common to see little preschoolers wearing contact lenses these days
and unfortunately, sometimes you just have to start that early.

My ophthalmologist told me they’ve got a five-year-old patient on the books.

Me, for instance... hmm... 9 to 10

There isn't really an age limit 😉 it just depends on which type of lentils they end up getting...

SwissGuy said:So, when can kids actually start wearing contact lenses?

I’ve been rocking contacts since I was in the 4th grade back in the day...
When my kid had their first eye exam, they were diagnosed with a super mild prescription, and honestly, the little guy just totally freaked out—he absolutely refused to wear glasses. 🙂
Our eye doctor told us that kids really SHOULD stick to glasses until maybe around 3rd or 4th grade, mostly because that's usually when they finally start developing enough responsibility to handle the whole hygiene thing you need with contacts...
So, if you ask me...
It's basically down to when a kid is mature enough to remember to scrub their hands thoroughly every single time before touching their eyes, or when they're responsible enough to swap out the solution in their case every single day... that's when they're ready for contacts.
And obviously, you still have to check their actual vision clarity, which usually stabilizes around age 8.