For the same reason 8 year olds should not have cell phones. They're not responsible enough to have them, and the risk of not properly keeping them hydrated can risk eyesight further. Besides, if they put dirty or scratched contacts in their eyes due to their lack of proper care they'll risk damaging their eyes further.

I wore contact when I turned 15 wore them for a few years then gave up, because it was too much of a hassle to keep them clean and preventing infections. I doubt the average 8 year old will follow all the steps or understand the consequences of not doing so.

I vaguely remember being 8, from what I remember it would be a very bad idea to allow them contacts. 13 would be a better age

Contact lenses could scratch the eye, or potentially do further damage to someones ability to see. I don't think a child should be wearing contacts, but that's from someone who thinks no one should be wearing contacts. I personally think the risks are greater than doctors want you to believe. Like any medical profession, they get kickbacks on things they push. When I use to wear contacts, my prescription changed often, and I took very good care of them. I switched to glasses 8 years ago, and have had the same prescription ever since. Can I prove it was the contacts? no, but why risk it? over looks? personally I love to wear glasses now that I know about zennioptical.com. I own about 10-12 pairs and match them to my outfit. It's become a fashion accessory so even if your worried about looks it can be an advantage. There are people who wear glasses just because they like the way they look. anyway, yeah....

I started wearing contacts at age 11, and that was in 1994. I was damn glad I did, too, as I got teased and picked on a hell of a lot for wearing glasses. I followed all the cleaning instructions (back then, you had separate saline, daily cleaner and weekly cleaner, not the one-bottle stuff we have today), and I have never in my life (I'm 24 now) had an eye infection.

The worst I ever did was go swimming with them in and lost them, but that was because I had just got them and forgot!

I think this is an issue of parental decision, as some kids are more responsible than others. I wore contacts at 11, and I could have and would have at 8 if we had the money. But if my 14 year old sister needed them, she'd have to have glasses as she's just to careless to take care of them.

This gets the same response from me as almost all age limit debates: different strokes for different folks. That's why 8 year olds are supposed to have parents, to make decisions like this on an individual case-by-case basis.

Kids are just going to hurt themselves if they get contacts, i've just about done myself in a couple of times by being lazy, so how do you think an 8 yr old would handle it?

@snoop-blog: "I personally think the risks are greater than doctors want you to believe."

I took a lot of punches when I was a kid wearing glasses. Since I have never in 13 years had a problem with my contacts, I'd have to say the risk of injury due to physical assault far outweighs any risks my contacts may carry.

Kids can be mean, especially in groups with peer pressure, and the dorky kid with glasses always gets picked on.

They should be able to get LASIK or other vision correctibg procedures though. So they don't have to look like a dork.

I've worn gas permeable contacts since second grade, so since I was 7. I wore bifocals in kindergarten, and was getting a new prescription every four-six months. My eye doctor and my parents put me through my paces. I've lost or broken four contacts since then-in 14 years, and I've never had a contact-related eye infection.

Granted, for the first year my dad (who's never worn contacts in his life) stood over me when I took them out and put them in, making sure I washed my hands.

I'm really wary of marketing them to that age group though. At that age, someone has to be involved making sure kids wash their hands, use the right amount of solution, don't leave them in too long, and don't mix them up (that might not be a problem with soft lenses, I don't know). I would've developed horrible habits if left on my own.

@aaron8301: you can't be serious? I was the shortest kid in my school and I wore glasses. I have never been "beat up" or made fun of for them. Where do you live? 1950?

@snoop-blog: glasses =/= dorky. maybe star wars=dorky, but not the frames they sell today.

The biggest problem I think is that the kid's eyes will become even more dependent on the contacts and mess up their eyes even more over a longer period of time. It's known that contacts damage your eyes more then regular glasses. Thats why before getting LASIK, you're not allowed to wear them until your eyes can heal again.

This is absolutely targeted to the parents who decide their 7 year old son should have an earring.

hell every major name brand/designer out there sells frames now so you can get the gucci, or louis, or boss, or whatever and be cooler than your non-glasses wearing friends. When I was in school (I'm 25) you could dress like a fool so long as you were wearing name brand clothes. the same applies to glasses.

To some it can seem like the upkeep could be overwhelming for a 8 year old to do I disagree, how is it any different than when they learn how to brush their teeth, take a shower or any other grooming habit they learned over the years? I've worn contacts on and off since I was 12-13years old (I'm 26) I usually go back to wearing glasses mostly because of my allergies tend to make my eyes dry and itchy. I guess I have more issues with the fact that our 8 year olds have such great self esteem issues and instead of dealing with them parents rather buy them something they think will make the self esteem issues go away. JMO

Maybe we should figure out why people as young as 8 need corrective lenses? Doesn't seem quite right..

anyone remember jnco's? they looked like you were wearing a jean dress on each leg, but damn they were in style... for a minute. In my day there was even a chord fad where everyone wore corduroys (I know I spelled that wrong but they are so out of style, why bother lookin up the real spelling).

Got contacts at 12, stopped wearing them regularly by 15 due to allergies. I was responsible and knew when my eyes were getting tired and needed to breathe, but I sure know that 75% of 12 year olds probably aren't responsible enough to do it right every time without a parent making sure they do it right. And 8 year olds? Christ.

@jimv2000: Some are born with eye problems in which they need corrective lenses.

Glasses are perfectly fine, its not like we are still in the era where glasses are thick as window glass. Or the imagine they project make you feel that way.

@pixiegirl1: Exactly! If your kid is being made fun of for wearing glasses, it's somehow the kid with the impared vision who is wrong and not the kids making fun of them. I don't get it.

There is at least some evidence that "kids pick on four-eyed kids" is more myth/aberrant individual experience than reality.

Parents do exist for a reason and while I still wouldn't trust myself with contacts, there are eight year olds up to the task. However, just the idea of the messages that will be used to market contacts to kids makes me go "ick". Jeez, at least go pick on the pre-teens with the "change how you look" messaging. (I know, I know. Too late.)

I'm surprised at the misconceptions and hatred of contacts here.

@Triterion: It's known that contacts damage your eyes more than regular glasses? First, can you point to something documenting this? Sure it can increase risks,but directly damage them? Second, to say "more than regular glasses" seems to imply that glasses in some way damage the eyes also? What in the world are you talking about?

About having contacts out for a period before getting LASIK, as far a I know that mainly applies to gas permeable, or what many call "hard" contacts. It's not that they damage the eye, but rather when worn over time can temporarily affect the shape of the cornea. They need to be left out so that the cornea can go back to its normal shape so they can do the procedure correctly.

Just wondering: why is this on consumerist? And why does it matter if what we think about 8 year olds wearing contacts? Shouldn't it come down to whether it's safe or not?

@snoop-blog: I wore bifocals, in kindergarten, and wasn't ever teased about them in elementary school.

Middle school girls, however, will tease you about anything. Waiting until a kid is 12 or 13 to let them get contacts will give them an nice self-esteem boost just as their peers become truly vicious.

@jimv2000: I'm confused. Are wondering about the various factors that contribute to needing vision correction? Or... what? Can you clarify a little?

@facted: No, it's apparently about an 8 year old being teased at school. Just hope he ALWAYS has those contacts. Otherwise you'll have to move and change school districts because by the time they start dating, he'll be the biggest loser. I know from my experience (I'm 25) that my life was ruined by those who teased me for being short, wearing glasses, wearing wal-mart clothes etc. In fact my wife is really a middle aged fat man vs. the smoking hot shortie I tell everyone about.

Seriously. Is there a legitimate argument for as to why and 8 year old should wear glasses? Does it all boil down to being made fun of, because if so, buy him some karate lessons instead of contacts.

A real argument would be that an 8 year old probably drops and scrathes/ brakes their $200 pair of glasses. I'll buy that.

@snoop-blog: Yeah but my mom was not buying an 11 year old Gucci glasses. I spent my whole year of age 10 pretending I could see so I didn't have to wear glasses.

I started contacts at 13 and never had a problem. 8 seems a little young but really, I think it depends on the child's maturity. You do have to keep contacts clean and take proper care.

@jimv2000: My pastor would say, "Because it's a sinful world and people have not been perfect since the Garden of Eden." But it's not anything new...

Good job J&J Marketing! You missed a spot though!

I got gas-permeable contact lenses at age 11. For me, it was medical -- my doctor thought that taking my glasses on and off to read at school was causing my bad headaches. The contacts solved that, and let me read without problems. So I can see how kids younger than 15 might want or need contacts. That said, I was a pretty responsible kid, so I could handle it -- but I highly doubt I could have at age eight.

@Mills: From what your saying though, sounds like if it wasn't glasses, it would have been something else. And have you seen the teenaged girls frames these days? they are designer name brands that make them cool. Mainly it's all about finding the right fit for your head/face.

I remember Jnco's you'd wear them with your Stussy tshirt. lol

I got soft contact lenses at age 11, back in 1985. Of course, I had worn glasses since age 5 (pretty much as soon as I was required to read at a distance - blackboard!), so my eyedoctor took pity on me.

That was in the days of weekly chemical cleanings, storage solutions, saline solutions - plus, the lenses were plenty expensive themselves - a lot of responsibility for an 11 year old. I'd think with the advent of all-in-one solutions, disposable lenses and the like, it would only be easier to teach younger kids how to wear them.

(and my lazy ass thanks now the powers that be every day for inventing daily disposable lenses)

@pixiegirl1: don't forget mossimo, or the extremely offensive(lol) big johnson shirts.

My daughter is legally blind in one eye, but has (nearly) perfect vision in the other. With a contact, she sees normally, and can participate in anything she wants to.

She's been wearing a contact since she was 7. Six years later, and I can count on one hand the torn and lost contacts. Disposable contacts are cheaper than glasses, and unopened contacts can be returned for a full refund when the Rx changes.

It wasn't a matter of "self-esteem", just the practical issue of dramatically different lenses.

As a four-eyes since from ages 8-30 (thank you Lasik!), I say no. Most kids are diligent enough to take care of them properly, and I'm sure as hell not going to do it for them. There may be some kids who can manage the upkeep, but in general, it's probably not a good idea.

I got contacts at 13, mainly for ballet recitals and swim meets.

When I was younger, my parents couldn't figure out why I would creep up and sit a few feet from the TV, even after they yelled at me to move back. After I failed a basic eyesight test in 2nd grade (what E?) they decided I needed glasses. I played a lot of sports and glasses just didn't fit in well with soccer, basketball, baseball and swimming. I started wearing contacts at 8 years old and have been wearing them ever since.

I have to agree that I was mature for my age, and that most eight year olds wouldn't have been able to deal with contacts.

@snoop-blog: right, 31 years of wearing contacts has messed up my eyes. Might as well go ahead and get it out. What other nonsense would you have us believe?

@pixiegirl1: upkeep on daily disposable contact?

@Triterion: excuse my french, but that is utter bull shit. the reason you can't wear them before surgery is that even soft lenses mildly correct your vision and so you need time for your eyes to rebound to the same messed up shape. in the military before lasik, if they were suspicious you wore hard contacts and wanted to be a pilot, they would put you in a hospital over night to see if your vision regressed from not having the contacts in.

Glasses on children are adorable. When I was younger I tried to ruin my eyes just so I COULD wear glasses.

Maybe it's just me, but this seems to be another case of "over sexualizing" little girls. Sure, it mentions kids in the broader term, but in most cases glasses are considered imperfections, like non-blond hair and most sizes above zero. Children, especially young girls, should have to "stick it out" with their glasses until their teens. By caving and giving younger kids contacts sooner, you're admitting that looks are the more important than the safety risks (infections) or the price.

I did not realize that the judgment of snarky Consumerist commenters was superior to the scientific judgment of the FDA.

Of course I don't know whether that says more about the ego of the commenters or of the public's level of trust in the FDA.

Isn't it "you'll shoot your eye out"?

@tedyc03: Yes it is.

I've worn contacts since age 11 and like many others here that started wearing them at a young age, I've had very few problems besides the occasional eyelash. I do think 8 yrs old is way too young for a child to wear contacts and even at 11 I don't think any child can wear them. You have to make sure they are mature and responsible enough to take care of their eyes and of course supervise while they learn. My mom supervised me at first and I've been wearing contacts for over 12 years without issue.

I'm getting contacts. Glasses make me look more dorky than I already am.

As much as I didn't like wearing glasses when I was younger, I have to agree that eight is too young. A few more years of wearing glasses for their own safety won't kill them.

That said, although I loved contacts over glasses, they gave me so many problems, and constantly made my eyes ache.

I got lasik as soon as I could, and am quite happy with the results. :)

My daughter was 11 months old when she started wearing glasses, and around 11 years old when she got contacts. I think she was intimidated by contacts and didn't start wearing them regularly until she was about 13.
According to her eye doctor, she needed to wait until she was over 22YO for Lasik.

I see no issue at all with this. i started contacts at 11 because i absolutely hated glasses. No regrets from that decision.

When I was in elementary school, all the cool kids wore glasses. I am so not making this up. I went to nerd school.

Why don't we just let them get boob surgery at 8.

Not to insult anyones kids here or anything but nowadays, kids are acting dumber and dumber. I admit that I was one of those genius but compared to the idiotic things the kids I see do, it seemed as though I was a civilized kid. They are constantly doing dumb things here.

How long is it going to be before kids do stupid stuff with the contacts? Eventually, they are going to change the age limit back to 15.

You guys should see the idiots that think they are so smart. They range from, "No fair, you used cheat codes, I'm gonna report you." (Online idiot kids) to "Hey, I bet I could stand in front of the train and hop off before it hits me." I saw kids that were jumping and pushing each other in the path of oncoming trains.

After seeing all that, I don't trust little kids with anything. I don't trust them with contacts. Just have them stick to regular eyeglasses.

I got soft contacts at age 14 in 1979. The eye doc was a bit concerned that I was too young (the recommended age then was 16), but he also understood that my lenses were thick, heavy, and very uncomfortable to wear. The lenses cost $450 a pair, and damage/loss insurance was another $50. I was a good enough doobie to keep them clean and disinfected using the boiling method. I've never had an infection or injury from contact lenses.

J&J is looking for new markets since adults are increasingly getting eye surgery and disposables can cost less than $1 a pair, cutting into profits. 8 yrs old is too young unless it's medically necessary (can't obtain proper correction with glasses, for instance). A smart 10 to 12 year old could handle it with disposables and some supervision; otherwise I'd wait until the kidlet is about 12-14.

I agree with many here. Why the big jump down to 8? There's huge difference between 8 and 10, 10 and 12, 12 and 15. I think twelve or thirteen would be a better age.

Really, if they want to play it safe (ha!), they'll lower the age by one or two years every year. See how the medium-sized humans do with the responsibility before letting the little ones take it on.

One good thing about lowering the age: I'm constantly frustrated by the number of children who try to go to school blind, refusing to wear their glasses. We're "surprised" when they don't learn. We can cajole, threaten, and nag them all we want, but we can't get 12 and 13 year old children to do the right thing when it hurts their all-impotant image. Contacts might give some of those kids a fighting chance at education.