CONTACT LENSES: better for children?

CONTACT LENSES: better for children?

Contact lenses are better for your nearsighted child than glasses. True or false?
True - provided they are prescribed by an eye-care professional and the child follows all instructions to the letter. Studies suggest that contact lenses might slow down the progression of near sightedness.
Note: these studies were done with hard lenses (the kind that many of us grew up with); soft lenses may not offer the same payoff. Rigid lenses correct myopia, caused by an elongated eye ball, by flattening the anterior (front) surface of the cornea. But change is transient and long-term effects are still being studied. Usually, children manage hard contacts by 10 or 11 years.
Lenses (soft or hard) ate convenient if the child is an athlete. Soft lenses may be better as they sit more securely in the eye during physical exertion. Plus, lenses also offer a superior field of vision and provide greater facial comfort than spectacles. But your child needs to keep follow-up appointments with the doctor.