During a 24 month study of 100 hospitals contact lenses accounted for 23% of
medical device related emergency room visits involving children.
In a study published online this week in the journal Pediatrics entitled “Emergency Department Visits for Medical Device-Associated Adverse Events Among Children” it was found that 23% of the medical device related emergency room visits involving children from birth to 21 years of age were contact lens related, this is in contrast to the next closest category, injuries due to a puncture by a hypodermic needle, which placed a distant second at 8%. An additional noteworthy finding was that an another 6% of the ER visits involved lacerations caused by eyeglasses.
The study did not outline how the children were using their contact lenses. Were they caring for and cleaning them properly? Did they discard the lenses according to the replacement interval prescribed by their doctor and what type of contact lenses were involved in the study? The injuries incurred while wearing eyeglasses did not specify the type of activity the child was participating in when the incident occurred.
Contact lenses are medical devices and as such require a prescription from an eye doctor with professional fitting and followup. In clinical practice we have found that patients that follow the guidelines below rarely experience contact lens related complications.
- clean and disinfect contact lenses as prescribed by their doctor
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replace contact lenses as scheduled
- have a backup pair of glasses in which you can see well enough to pass a driver’s test and you are willing to be seen wearing in public (the 1980’s style ala Peggy Hill of “King of the Hill” won’t do ;-))
- seek care from an eye doctor yearly
Injuries due to eyeglass lenses and frames was also a significant source of injuries in the study. We must therefore, not forget to provide our children with protective eyewear when they participate in sports. Sports eyewear has come a long way since the days when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar captured his trademark look. Sports eyewear has now become fashionable and safe.
As parents we often think that our son or daughter has good vision and therefore does not need an eye exam. Common misperceptions of why eye exams in children are not important include, my son doesn’t complain of blurry vision, my child’s grades are good, or the parents have good vision therefore the kids probably do too.
In December 2009 we covered the results of a recent study 
A 66% increase in myopia is a huge change over a 30 year period. The new study tried to simulate the testing methods of the original 1972 study on nearsightedness in the US population. The 1971-1972 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 25% of the US population between the ages of 12 and 54 were nearsighted vs the 1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s finding of 41.6%. Increased nearsightedness was noted regardless of age, sex, race or education.
Some of the vision problems cited in the literature review included undiagnosed nearsightedness, farsightedness, amblyopia, retinoblastoma, congenital defects, and strabismus. The report went on to state that a vision screening was not a substitute for an eye exam and that eye exams from an optometrist or ophthalmologist were a very effective way to detect vision problems in children.
Is it too early to think about what we need to do to get our kids ready for school? One of the most important “school supplies” is your child’s annual eye exam. Over 80% of what a child learns is through their eyes, therefore it is important for our kids to see their very best.