You may want your child to start wearing contact lenses for a variety of reasons: they play sports, they may not like to wear their glasses, they want to improve their cosmetic appearance, etc. Many eye doctors fit plenty of children under age 18 with contact lenses, but there are certain factors to consider when choosing to fit a child with contact lenses.
One of the most important factors is a child's motivation level. It would be difficult to teach a child to care for their contact lenses (and they may not do a good job down the road) if they don't want to wear them in the first place.
Second, how is the child's maturity level? Many children display impeccable maturity that makes contacts a great option. A higher maturity level also indicates the child will be able to successfully undertake the responsibility of caring for their contacts by themselves.
Third, does the child have good personal hygiene? Contact lenses are medical devices that can impart serious eye complications if they are abused and not taken care of properly. An eye doctor may not want to risk infection if the child doesn't exhibit good personal grooming tendencies.
Overall, kids can certainly wear contacts as long as all the right reasons and characteristics are met! If you have any questions, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor today.