Author: Tim Fletcher
Posted: 29 May 2010 17:28
It appears that wearing contact lenses may have consequences that go beyond medical ones, especially when it comes to children and teenagers. 484 myopic children aged 8 to 11 took part in a recently published study; half of them wore glasses while the other half wore contact lenses (daily contact lenses and 2-week disposable contact lenses).
After the 3-year period of the study, the children were asked several questions concerning their self-perception (how they perceived their appearance, sports skills, academic skills, social acceptance and general self-esteem).
Compared to the children who wore glasses, children wearing contact lenses reached higher scores regarding appearance, sports skills, academic abilities and social acceptance. They showed more self-confidence in these areas. However, their general self-esteem was the same in both groups.
The authors of the study conclude that, when choosing the method of vision correction for children, ophthalmologists and parents should consider their impact on both the child’s eyesight and psyche. Increased self-confidence might have an enormous positive influence on the child in the crucial years of his or her psychological development.
