Was your child prescribed multifocal contact lenses and you’re not sure why?
Multifocal contact lenses are prescribed for children to support their learning and school performance, as well as for myopia management.
Many children also find contact lenses offer improved vision and comfort for sports and outdoor play.
What are multifocal contact lenses?
Similar to multifocal eyeglasses, multifocal contact lenses are specially designed to correct refractive errors causing blurry vision at near, intermediate and far distances.
Each contact lens contains specific vision zones with the optical power designated for that zone.
Multifocal contact lenses are available as disposable lenses with daily, monthly, bimonthly, lens replacement schedules, depending on the lens design, brand and material.
Consult with your eye doctor to determine which lens replacement schedule is best suited for your child.
Multifocal contact lenses for school
Multifocal contact lenses are often prescribed if a child is farsighted and complaining of headaches, eye strain or eye fatigue— this is usually a sign of a focusing difficulty.
The focusing skills are necessary for maintaining clear vision for an extended period of time, such as when reading, completing homework, using a computer, crafting, etc.
Multifocal contact lenses help to support the focusing muscles in the eyes to improve a child’s focusing ability and visual acuity— making these tasks easier and more enjoyable.
If your child was prescribed multifocal contact lenses to support their focusing skills, your eye doctor will discuss how long your child may require multifocal contact lenses. Some children may require focusing support for just a few years, until they develop greater control over their focusing system, while others may need the additional support for the duration of their school years.
Can multifocal contact lenses correct astigmatism?
Yes.
Multifocal toric contact lenses offer astigmatism correction while providing clear vision at all distances.
These lenses are available in aspheric or concentric designs, with a stabilization system to help keep the astigmatism correction properly positioned on the eye.
Your eye doctor will determine if your child is a good candidate for toric multifocal contact lenses during their contact lens exam, and recommend the best design for their visual needs.
Are multifocal contact lenses suitable for children?
Yes.
Multifocal contact lenses are not only well received by young eyes, but it also takes little effort to teach children on how to insert, remove, and clean their contact lenses.
Some children can start wearing contact lenses as young as 8 years of age, as long as they can take responsibility and are aware of the hygienic requirements involved in wearing contacts. Most importantly, is the child’s motivation to wear contact lenses.
Depending on your child’s prescription, daily disposable contact lenses may be recommended. These are easy to care for since they simply get disposed of at the end of the day.
Contact an eye doctor near you to learn more about multifocal contact lenses and just how beneficial they can be for children.
SEE RELATED: Contact Lenses and Children: Part 2 Q&A
Benefits of contact lenses for children
Over 90% of children say that they enjoy wearing contact lenses, compared with only 58% of children who report that they prefer glasses.
There are a number of ways in which contact lenses can benefit a child, these include:
- 86% of children say that they feel better participating in sports when wearing contact lenses
- 80% of parents agree that contact lenses increased their child’s self-confidence
- 30% of parents find that glasses impact their children’s enjoyment of sports
- The risk of glasses-related eye injuries during sports is eliminated
- Contact lenses provide a more ‘natural vision’ and are more comfortable, especially for high prescriptions
- Slower myopia progression stabilizes the child’s prescription
Multifocal lenses for myopia management
Myopia occurs when the light bent by the eye lens forms an image in front of the retina instead of directly on the retina. This happens when the eyeball is too long from front to back, leading to excessive distance between the lens and the retina.
As the eyeball grows until it reaches its adult size at around age 20, this distance increases and shortsightedness worsens.
What causes the eyeball to grow?
Researchers attribute a phenomenon called peripheral retinal defocus as one of the causes. Multifocal contact lenses focus light correctly across all areas on your retina thus reducing or even eliminating the peripheral retinal defocus.
Slowing down, or perhaps even stopping, the myopia worsening is a treatment program known as Myopia Management.
In this process the optometrist may prescribe multifocal lenses with a center-distance design. In this design the center of the contact lens enables the wearer to focus on distant objects which appear blurry to a nearsighted person, while the outer rings place near objects into focus.
Which myopia management treatment is best?
Your optometrist will examine your child’s eyes to get an overall picture of their eye health, the severity of myopia and any other conditions that may be present.
After the thorough evaluation the eye doctor will discuss the range of alternatives available for your child’s myopia management, these also include ortho-k lenses, multifocal glasses or contact lenses or atropine eye drops. Together with your child, you can decide on the best solution.
Patient experiences
“The eye doctor recommended multifocal contact lenses for my 8-year-old son. His vision has significantly improved. His prescription has remained the same now for almost 2 years.”
Carly M.
“I used to have to get my child stronger glasses every 4 to 6 months! We couldn’t keep up and it was affecting her ability to function at school. For three years she was fitted with multifocal contacts and her prescription has barely changed. She feels confident and comfortable at school.”
Matt S.
LEARN MORE: Guide to Children’s Eye Exams
If you are concerned about your child’s worsening myopia, contact an eye doctor near you to schedule an appointment, they can provide you with information on the best options to benefit your child.
