Children's Vision Month

6 VISION MONTH For youngsters considering contact lenses, they'll soon see they need to keep an eye on hygiene to avoid infections. D r. Luke Small, a doctor of optometry with Armstrong & Small Eye Care Centre, says parents often ask what is the right age for their child to start wearing contacts. "I'd say sometime between 11 and 14, but there's no steadfast rule. It totally comes down to responsibility," says Small, whose 12-year-old daughter wears contact lenses. "My analogy is that it's kind of like a pet because it might seem like a good idea that everyone's excited about. But we have to remember that like a new pet it comes with a lot of responsibility. Contact lenses are classified as a medical device and can cause some serious problems if not properly fitted and the patient properly educated." The good news is daily disposable lenses have made it easier to maintain proper hygiene practices. "We no longer have to worry about a case or solution," Small says. "They can open up that foil pack, put them in and wear them. Then they remove them and throw them away — your risk for infection goes way down." Daily disposables are the safest option because the patient isn't re-using the same lens over and over and these contact lenses have high breathability, Small adds. However, he draws attention to the fact contact lenses ordered online might use outdated technology that results in a reduced amount of oxygen to the eye. For those who use bi-weekly or monthly lenses, proper hygiene is even more crucial. "One of the worst things people can do is reuse solution," Small says. "You should dump out the solution every time, ideally rinsing the case in hot water and letting it air dry. It's also really important to keep your case clean, so wash it regularly or throw it away." Many people skip the step of rubbing their contacts before they put them in the case, but it's worth the effort to avoid infection. "When you take it out, you should put it in your palm and give it a really good squirt with the solution recommended by your eye-care professional and you should give it a 10-second rub on each side," Small says. "Some people rub them before they put them in their eyes, but it's better to do the rub and then let them disinfect in that case." Whether youngsters wear daily disposables or longer-use lenses, they need to remember to wash their hands every time they put them in or take them out. They should also listen to their eye-care professional about how soon they need to replace their lenses — and not exceed the recommendations. As another hygiene tip, Small stresses the importance of avoiding the "sketchy pair" of contacts. "Imagine if one drops out of your eye onto a restaurant floor and you decide you're going to dip it in water. Then there are the infamous people who spit on their lens — you can imagine how much bacteria is in there — and then you're putting that in your eye," he says. "So you should have a spare pair of contacts with you or carry your glasses. It's good idea to give your eyes a break, so make sure you own a pair of glasses, even if it's a bathroom-to-bedroom pair." And if you want to use contacts to change your eye colour, whether it's for Halloween or any other occasion, you should know that these lenses are now classified as a medical device so they need to be prescribed and properly fitted. "Manufacturers of non-corrective contact lenses will have to apply for a medical device licence to sell the products in Canada," Small says. "So if someone wants cosmetic contact lenses legally now, they have to go through an eye-care professional." FOCUS ON HYGIENE BY JENNIFER MCFEE DR. LUKE SMALL DOES A COLOURED CONTACT LENS FITTING. PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY PERFORMANCE AND PROTECTION FOR YOUNG ATHLETES BY GEOFF KIRBYSON As the season for hockey and other winter sports starts up, many parents and their young athletes are wrestling with one very important question — glasses or contact lenses? I t's simply not safe to send a child who requires vision correction out on to the field — or rink — of play without one or the other, but a number of factors need to be weighed in making a decision. For example, glasses can fog up behind a hockey visor when a child's face gets sweaty, slide down their nose, or even fall off completely. If they're playing a sport without headgear, such as volleyball or basketball, glasses can break if they're hit by a ball or an errant elbow. On the other hand, is the child responsible enough to take care of their eyes and contact lenses? Dr. Cody van Dijk, a doctor of optometry at Village Optical and a member of the Manitoba Association of Optometrists, said there is no minimum age for kids to wear them. While it might be too much to expect a child who can't be trusted to remember their lunch or make their bed to handle traditional contact lenses on a regular basis, daily disposable or single-use lenses have made that much less of an issue. "You wear them once and throw them away," van Dijk said. "You don't have to worry about cleaning, cases, or solutions. It's been shown that patients who wear single-use lenses may experience lower infection rates than patients who wear lenses that are cleaned, stored overnight, and worn for multiple days." The good news for this generation is glasses have become much more popular and fashionable — some kids with 20/20 vision accessorize with frames featuring plain glass — so being made fun of by their peers is much less prevalent than it was a few years ago. "There is less of a social concern about wearing glasses today. We often have to explain to the child that wearing them can make them better at their sport. Everybody wants to be better at the sport that they play," he said. Some athletes look to make the ultimate fashion statement with sports glasses. Former Chicago Bulls basketball power forward Horace Grant is the poster child of this option, while retired running back Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams is perhaps the highest-profile player on the gridiron to wear them. There are even a few examples of athletes who weren't even aware that their vision was a problem. For example, former Toronto Raptors small forward Rudy Gay's vision was so bad he was barely able to get his driver's licence. After he had a particularly bad season, he got his eyes checked and then underwent a procedure to correct the problem. There's no excuse for not knowing about any vision problems your child may have, as annual eye exams are 100 per cent covered by Manitoba Health up to and including the age of 18, van Dijk said. Eye injuries don't discriminate between weekend warriors and the top athletes in the world, either. For example, former world No. 1 squash player Jonathon Power had to withdraw from the 2002 world championships after taking a racquet to his left eye and NHL defenceman Bryan Berard had his career derailed after taking a stick to the eye in 2000. "In any sport, a finger poke can always hit the eye directly," van Dijk said. Athletes who don't need vision correction should still be wearing protective eyewear. When it comes to swimming, prescription goggles are really the only safe choice. Glasses tend to fall off in the water and contacts can get contaminated with infectious organisms and/or cause irritation from chemicals used in swimming pools. If you must swim in contacts they must be removed when done and thrown out since contact lens cleaning solutions are not able to get rid of these contaminants. Talk to your Doctor of Optometry to discuss what options are best for you. When it comes to swimming, prescription goggles are really the only safe choice. Glasses tend to fall off in the water and contacts can get contaminated with infectious organisms and/ or cause irritation from chemicals used in swimming pools.

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