Contact Lens in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study

Compared to glasses, contact lens wear significantly improves how children and teenagers feel about their appearance and participation in activities a newly published study shows. These quality of life improvement measures following a switch from glasses to contacts indicate that children 8-12 years of age who require vision correction should be given the option of being fitted with contact lenses say study investigators. Researchers reported the results of the study in the November issue of Eye & Contact Lens, a highly respected eye care professional journal.

Teenagers are frequently fitted with contact lenses to correct refractive errors by eye care practitioners, but children younger than 13 are generally not given the option of contact lens wear, often because eye care practitioners or parents believe that children don’t have the maturity to properly care for them. This study confirms the philosophy of North Suburban Vision Consultants which holds that many mature young people (as young as age 8) can succeed in contact lens wear.

“Children as young as eight years old who need vision correction are as capable as teenagers at wearing and caring for soft contact lenses and should be presented with the option of contact lens wear when vision correction is required,” says Jeffrey J. Walline, O.D., Ph.D., from the Ohio State University College of Optometry and study leader of The Contact Lens in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study. “This research demonstrates that both children and teens derive a number of quality of life benefits from contact lenses, which leads to greater satisfaction with their vision correction.”

“Contact lenses often provide a more convenient mode of correction for young wearers and this study demonstrates that both children and teens can adapt to contact lens wear and derive similar benefits,” adds Dr. Darin Strako, director of pediatric eye care services at North Suburban Vision Consultants.

The take home message is that children are capable of wearing contact lenses and given the opportunity they will enjoy the benefits of improved self image and performance vs. wearing glasses. There are multiple contact lens options for children and teens. Please contact NSVC to schedule an evaluation for your child to see if they are candidates for contact lens wear.