BCLA president Susan Bowers discusses children in need in conference address

One of my greatest regrets as a contact lens practitioner is the fact that not enough children are benefiting from contact lens wear. It’s been proven that contact lenses can help children in many ways – in the treatment of anisometropic amblyopia, myopia control,1 the new and more controversial hypermetropia growth as well as improving their appearance, self-esteem, ability to excel in sports, hobbies and their confidence.2

The most common reasons for parents requesting contact lenses, according to a recent survey – jointly funded by the College of Optometrists and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and presented at the BCLA Clinical Conference in May/June – were sports (60 per cent) followed by self-esteem (25 per cent).