As your child transitions into adulthood, she may tire of wearing eye glasses and want to wear contacts. For some teens, this represents a more fashionable choice, of they may simply want the convenience of wearing contacts. However, if you put your teen in contacts too early it can have serious health implications. Contacts that are not cared for properly can lead to dry eyes or even infections, and if contacts are left in the eye for too long your child can experience problems as well. They should also never be shared amongst friends. Here are some ways to tell if your teen is ready for contacts.

❤❤ Watch Her Cleanliness ❤❤

Contacts must be cared for in a specific way to keep the eyes clean and safe. Think about how well your teen takes care of other obligations, like her oral hygiene, showering, and general cleanliness. If what you see in these areas doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, then she may also be unwilling or unable to care for her contacts in the necessary way. Think about holding off until she shows more capability for keeping up with routines and cleanliness before you switch her to contact lenses. On the other hand, if your teen is good about holding to personal care routines, she is a good candidate for contacts.

❤❤ Look at Her Response to Authority ❤❤

If your teen tends to listen to her school teacher’s instructions and generally responds well to authority, she’s more likely to care for her contacts in the manner that her doctor instructs. While most teens show a degree of push back when it comes to authority, if you know that your teenager is responsive to instruction more often than not she will probably listen to what the doctor has to say. On the other hand, if she has a devil could care attitude she may blow of what the doctor says and wind up with sore eyes.

❤❤ Consider Her Forgetfulness ❤❤

Contacts need to be cleaned and exchanged on a schedule, and if lost they may leave your child temporarily visually impaired. Think about how likely your child is to lose her contacts or forget to take them out based on her other behaviors. If eye glasses are lost, at least no damage is done to the eyes. However, if contacts are forgotten in the eye for too long there may be health implications. Teens who tend to forget things often may not be the best candidate for contacts, or you may need to make sure you purchase a brand that can be slept in just in case.

Contact lenses can give your teen better peripheral vision and can improve her self esteem. However, you should only transition your child into contacts from eye glasses when she is ready to take proper care of them and understand the responsibility of her vision care. If you have any doubts, it might be best for you and your teen to wait a while before you purchase contact lenses.