Children and Contacts

This afternoon my son had an eye appointment. Unfortunately for him, he has inherited my poor vision. He has had glasses for three years. His father didn't want him to get glasses; he felt contacts should be strongly considered. He was EIGHT!

The eye doctor strongly suggested contacts due to my son's athletic endeavors and chronically mashed, mangled and broken glasses. And apparently, that doesn't get better/less frequent with age ;) My son thought that contacts would be cool, and he does occasionally watch me put in mine and question it.

My brother has never been able to wear contacts. He hates the idea of touching his eye or coming anywhere near it. My mom tried contacts for years without success. I'm not sure that my son is going to like it either. They did put in a pair of contacts for him and he wore them for some time as he picked out new glass frames for his latest prescription. I was hoping maybe he could wear them to the baseball game and I could take them out for him, but the staff didn't like that idea. They did say that they would bypass the "class" if he could take them out and let him wear them out of the office. Needless to say, that was an endeavor and he wasn't able to do it. He thought it would be immediate success. He broke down in tears of frustration. Not only was he frustrated he couldn't get them out, he now wouldn't be able to wear them as he was excited as to how well he would be able to pitch with his new contacts and prescription. He didn't even want to try to put one in on his own after the lady took them both out for him. So, when he's ready, we will go back to the office and he can try again. I was hoping that we would get the pair to try at home, but no such luck.

Tonight we practiced the art of putting in eye drops. Talk about funny! After about 1/2 an hour he managed to get a drop in his eye! Slowly but surely...afterall he's my kid and we aren't quitters! Whether he likes them or not, he won't give up until he manages to get them in and out.

Personally, I still think 11 is too young. I have a feeling that contacts will be his back up with glasses being his primary. Afterall, I still have to discuss bathing, picking out his clothes and cleaning his room. Some of the time he remembers to use his deodorant. I think by the time he's 13, he'll have contact wearing mastered! ;)