Contact lenses for all ages

An 11-year-old boy is proof of the benefits that contact lenses can bring to younger patients with vision impairment who may otherwise feel restricted in aspects of their life.

Keen footballer, Archie Lewis, was fitted with contact lenses at Vision Express in Derby around a year ago, leaving him more confident in pursuing his passion for goalkeeping.

Speaking about the benefits that contact lenses bring him, Archie, who plays for Belper Town Under 12s, explained: “As a goalkeeper, I need to see the whole field. Before I started wearing lenses, when my team would score I would have to wait until my defenders all started screaming ‘yes’ and then I would act like I had seen it.”

He shared that when wearing contact lenses his vision is “normal – it’s amazing.”

Speaking during the new Love your lenses awareness raising week, Archie’s mother, Claire Lewis, added: “Wearing contact lenses has become second nature to him and it’s now part of his morning routine to pop them in every day.”

According to statistics released by Johnson & Johnson, 65% of teens feel that wearing contact lenses makes them better at sports. Furthermore, of those teens who do wear contact lenses, 89% says they find it easy to clean and care for them.

Emphasising why contact lenses are of benefit to younger patients, optometrist at Vision Express Derby, Philippa Bannister, said: “Contact lenses are a great alternative to glasses for a lot of kids, particularly if they play sports. It’s a lot easier for them to play.”

Watch Archie share his contact lens story in the video below.