Get Kids Game Time Ready for Spring

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April 1, 2026

By Justin Kwan, OD, FAAO

Now that the deep-freeze of winter is finally behind us, the much-anticipated spring season is ushering in warmer temps, longer days and a whole host of new activities for elementary-, middle- and high school-aged children.

For many parents, activities mean sports. But I never want to forget about performing arts too. Contact lenses are great for school musicals or plays, dance, choir, band and drama club. One colleague shared with me that when she was a child, she was required to remove her –4.00D glasses and then was expected to perform on stage with her ballet company. I think we can all internally picture the blurry world around her as she tried to execute her moves and not fall off the stage in the process.

Here are some benefits of contact lenses worth mentioning and revisiting as we get families excited about the upcoming spring season of tryouts, after school and weekend practices and competitive events. 

1. Visual Acuity and Peripheral Vision: Contact lenses often provide better visual acuity and a wider field of vision compared to glasses,¹ which can be beneficial in dynamic sports where peripheral vision and quick decision making is crucial. Glasses lenses may have a bit of distortion in the periphery with the lower abbe value of polycarbonate,² potentially affecting performance.
2. Stability and Comfort: Contact lenses tend to remain stable on the eye during physical activity, whereas glasses can slip or fog up during intense exercise. This stability matters when tracking, and rapid eye movements mean the difference between a hit and a miss, for example. Many soft contact lenses exhibit ~0.25 mm movement on blink.³ 
3. Depth Perception: Contact lenses can enhance depth perception, which is particularly important in sports like basketball or soccer.⁴ We also know that contact lens wear can dramatically improve how children and teens feel about their appearance and participation in activities.⁵
4. Injury Risk: Contact lenses may reduce the risk of injury during sports compared to glasses, which can break or become dislodged upon impact.
5. Preference and Performance: Many athletes report a preference for contact lenses due to the freedom of movement they provide. Research has demonstrated that athletes using contact lenses may experience better performance metrics, such as reaction times⁶ and accuracy in sports like tennis and basketball.

So, whether your young patient is in the performing arts or an athlete at the club, travel, varsity, or just recreational level, contact lenses provide a positive experience and elevated performance with nothing in the way. Whatever their passion, our job is to help keep kids happy and support them in performing at their best. 

 

Dr. Justin Kwan is a 2009 graduate of Berkeley Optometry and went on to complete a contact lens and dry eye residency at SCCO. He taught and saw patients there before moving to Chicago in 2018, joining a private practice. In April 2020, he transitioned to CooperVision to lead myopia management. He has given over 125 hours of continuing education. Dr. Kwan is the current president of the Chicago North Side Optometric Society, past Editor in Chief of Clinical & Refractive Optometry, past chair of the Fellows Doing Research SIG of the Academy, and a member of the Intrepid Eye Society.

 

References

1. Wolffsohn JS. How contact lenses benefit the visual experience. Contact Lens Spectrum. Nov. 1, 2020.  
2. Martinez-Perez C, Oliveira AP. Meta-Analysis of Materials and Treatments Used in Ophthalmic Lenses: Implications for Lens Characteristics. Materials (Basel). 2024 Dec 5;17(23):5949.
3. Tranoudis I, Efron N. In-eye performance of soft contact lenses made from different materials. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2004 Sep;27(3):133-48.
4. Shah SK, Thakur K. Contact Lenses in Sports. Acta Scientific Ophthalmology 6.6 (2023): 03-06.
5. Walline JJ, Gaume A, Jones LA, Rah MJ, Manny RE, Berntsen DA, Chitkara M, Kim A, Quinn N. Benefits of contact lens wear for children and teens. Eye Contact Lens. 2007 Nov;33(6 Pt 1):317-21. doi: 10.1097/ICL.0b013e31804f80fb.  
6. Laby DM, Kirschen DG. The Effect of Visual Acuity on Baseball Performance: A Review. Clin Exp Optom. 2018;101(6):752-760. 

 

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