Contact lenses

And with modern advances making contacts more comfortable and easier to keep clean, eye experts today are willing to prescribe the lenses for children when they're still in middle school or even elementary school.

"You have to look at the individual, their level of maturity, their level of motivation," said Tom Barracato, a licensed optician at Adolph Optical Service Inc.

in Akron, Ohio.

Barracato is also vice chair of the National Contact Lens Examiners Board and vice president of the Opticians Association of Ohio.

"Kids are certainly more active," he said.

"Their time is more taken up with activities and extracurriculars from music to dance to sports.

...

A young boy playing baseball, he's got a helmet on, he's sweating.

You get considerably better vision out of contacts in that setting." When Alexis decided she wanted to try contacts after wearing glasses since age 4, her mother, Dianne, took the girl to Barracato for an exam.

Before fitting Alexis for contacts, Barracato asked her mother a frank question: "Do you think she's mature enough?

" Her mother didn't hesitate to respond, "Yes." "She's a good kid," her mother said.

"She's a good student.

When her eyes are tired, she knows and she'll wear her glasses.

She's good about knowing when her eyes need a rest." Children who want to wear contacts generally do well with the routine ne...