Some children are itching to get contact lenses from the minute they find out they need to wear glasses. Contact lenses are usually not recommended for children under the age of 12, according to Kids Health. A pair of contacts are much smaller than a pair of glasses, so they’re easier to lose. They’re also a bit tricky to put in, especially the first few times your child tries.
Step 1
Have your child wash her hands before you start. Give her a plain, unscented hand soap without added lotion or oil. Lotions and oils leave a film on the lenses, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Make sure she dries her hands completely with a towel before proceeding. Cut her fingernails short so that she doesn’t accidentally scratch the lenses.
Step 2
Remove one lens from the package. Always have your child start with the same lens so that she doesn’t accidentally switch the lenses and put them in the wrong eye. Have her start with the lens for the right eye if she’s right-handed or for the left eye if she’s left-handed, so she remembers easily.
Step 3
Help her rinse the lens with the contact lens rinsing solution. After rinsing, place the lens on her fingertip and tell her to examine it for dust or tears. She should also examine the lens to make sure it’s turned the right direction. Its edges should be straight or slightly turned in if it is in the right direction.
Step 4
Place the lens on your child’s index finger and show her how to hold the eye in which she’ll be applying the lens. The hand without the lens should hold the upper eyelid and the middle finger of the hand with the lens should hold the lower eyelid. Tell her to look through the lens as she brings her index finger towards her eye. Have her place the lens directly on the cornea.
Step 5
Tell her to take her middle finger off of the lower eyelid, then take her other hand away from the upper eyelid. She should then blink a few times to make sure the lens is comfortably in place. Repeat with the other eye.
