# At What Age Can You Wear Prescription Contact Lenses?

Source page: https://www.kudretgozistanbul.com/en/blog/intraocular-lens-treatments/at-what-age-can-you-wear-contact-lenses

**Author:** Kudret Eye İstanbul | **Medical Approval:** Op. Dr. Mehmet Ali Özdil | **Date:** 2026-09-12

> **Summary:** There is no recommended age range for wearing prescription contact lenses: what matters is whether the wearer can take responsibility for hygiene, insertion, removal and care. Children who understand these duties and older people without age-related eye deformation or hygiene difficulties can wear lenses, after a specialist assessment and fitting.

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## At What Age Can You Wear Contact Lenses?
- No age limit is recommended; an ophthalmologist first assesses whether lenses are needed.
- The wearer must be mature enough to wash hands every time, insert and remove lenses correctly, change the solution with every use and discard lenses past their use-by date.
- Older people can wear lenses as long as there is no age-related deformation of the eye or difficulty with hygiene.

## What Is a Contact Lens?
Thin lenses covering the pupil were first worn in the nineteenth century; today they are very thin and comfortable. An eye examination determines the lens type, power and curve before fitting. Lenses sit on the cornea, adhere to it and are held in place by the eyelids.
- A well-fitting lens shifts slightly when blinking, which also clears deposits.
- A lens that does not move at all may feel comfortable at first but can cause discomfort and poorer vision over time.
- A lens that is too loose moves too much, blurring vision after blinking or falling out.

The right lens is found through the ophthalmologist's recommendation and trial and error.

## What to Pay Attention to When Wearing Contact Lenses
- Poor hygiene or incorrect use can cause infections; dirty hands or unchanged solution open the way to eye infections.
- Observe the wearing period of weekly, monthly and yearly lenses; overuse causes strong burning and stinging.
- Replace lenses according to the recommended replacement schedule, not according to how they feel; if a lens causes redness or stinging, remove it and consult your ophthalmologist.
- Vision should not blur when blinking, and you should not feel the lens.
- Swimming in a pool or the sea with lenses is not generally recommended: chlorine and salt can affect the lens.
- Rinse lenses with solution before every use, change the solution after every use, check for dust and make sure the lens is not inside out.
- Remove lenses carefully if a foreign body cannot be removed; do not sleep in lenses or rub the eye. A lens can move under the eyelid but cannot slip behind the eye.

## Properties of Contact Lenses
- Every lens is curved to adhere to the cornea; the back surface touches the cornea, the front surface allows clear refraction.
- **Base curve:** the radius of the optical zone of the back surface; large curves are called flat, small ones steep; if a lens is very tight, the base curve is increased.
- **Diameter:** edge-to-edge measurement in millimetres; around nine to ten millimetres in rigid lenses and around fourteen in soft lenses.