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jessie
With the right expertise contact lenses could be a good option for your child.

At Cameron Optometry we pride ourselves on our contact lens expertise. We regularly receive referrals from other optical and health experts such as the Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion who are looking for expertise in contact lenses.

For many parents, finding out that their children have less than perfect vision is upsetting. For most it’s a case of a relatively low level prescription so usually glasses are the chosen route, however for some their issues are more complex and the solution is less straightforward.

Such was the case for the MacKarel brothers, Jesse and Laurie. Jesse was born with some of the iris missing in each eye and has worn glasses and had patching on his eyes since the age of two. He has good vision with his glasses (he is longsighted with astigmatism) but he was finding that they didn’t work well for playing football. Sadly for many similar cases, the parents don’t realise that there are other options. We suggested that he give contact lenses a try and he was delighted with the prospect. He started with his mum inserting and removing the lenses, then starting holding his eyelids open while his mum handled the lenses and now he can take them out by himself. Now heading the ball is not an issue!

His brother Laurie was seven when he started to wear lenses having also worn glasses since he was a toddler. He has a high prescription and was required to wear his prescription all the time to help correct a squint. He has also found them to transform his sporting life, especially for tennis and mountain biking but he also opts to wear them to school some days.

The boys’ mum, Jane believes that the change from glasses to contact lenses for her sons has been a hugely positive experience and both see better with their lenses. Sadly, like many young glasses wearers, there are those moments when children have teased the boys for wearing glasses. For these boys, knowing they have the option of wearing lenses to suit their lifestyles has made a huge difference. They don’t need to sacrifice their love of sport due to the impractical nature of glasses. When they can’t be bothered inserting their lenses, they don’t but when they want to spend an afternoon in the park with a football, in go their lenses.

There are times when glasses aren’t practical for any of us, not just children. Whether it’s for sport or just a night out when you want to be glasses-free, contact lenses do not have to be a fulltime commitment. And they don’t come with an age restriction. The experience of the MacKarel brothers, shows us that with the help of their parents, even children young children can enjoy the benefits that contact lenses bring.

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