The Right Age for Contacts

Appropriate age to introduce a child to soft contact lenses:

"More than half (51%) of optometrists feel it is appropriate to introduce children to soft contact lenses between the ages of 10 and 12 years old, while nearly one in four (23%) feel 13-14 years old is a suitable age for a child to begin wearing contact lenses. One in ten doctors surveyed think it is proper to introduce 8-9 year olds (12%) or children younger than 8 (11%) to soft contact lenses. Figure 1 below visually displays the age which optometrists say is the appropriate age to introduce a child to soft contact lenses."

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Current contact lens patients by age:

"Nearly all (97%) optometrists surveyed currently fit contact lens patients under the age of 18. Children up to the age of 17 account for about 41% of respondents’ total contact lens patient population. On average, optometrists say that about 59% of their contact lens patients are 18 years of age and older and report less than 1% of their contact lens patients are younger than eight-years-old, less than 2% are 8-9 years old, 7% are between 10-12, 13% are 13-14 year olds, and 19% of contact lens patients are between 15 and 17 years old."

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Influence of gender:

"The majority (74%) of optometrists surveyed say that gender does not influence their decision to fit a child in contact lenses, while one in four (26%) say they are more likely to fit younger children when they are girls."

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Learn more HERE.

Source - American Optometric Association