The Wonder Years of Eye Care and Eye Wear

Many of us remember and may have been fans of the popular TV show The Wonder Years. The series portrayed the social and family life of a typical American boy during his teenage years of 12 through 17. As the TV show depicted, the life of a teenager is dynamic and fluid. If you are the parent of a teenager or a teenager yourself, life is changing at a rapid pace. How you see the world as a teenager is dramatically different than when you were a young child. Likewise, how the world sees you is also changing as you approach adulthood. Quality eye care and a wide-selection of eye wear choices during these transformation years are very important for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few:

Peak Years for Development of Myopia (Nearsightedness)

The majority of nearsightedness (myopia) is caused by a change in the shape of the eyeball. Nearsightedness is blurred vision when looking at distant objects. During the teenage years, as the eyeball continues to grow, myopia may develop and progress quickly. In fact, some teenagers need new eyeglasses or other type of corrective lenses every 12 months. Some teenagers need new corrective lenses even more frequently than that!  Nearsightedness usually stops its progression by age 16 in females and the early 20’s in males at which time it will moderate and stabilize.

Increasing Formal Activities, Responsibilities and Commitments

The teenage years are a major leap in what teenagers expect of themselves and what others expect of them. They are learning to be adults and their level of independence is growing tremendously. Teenagers need to perform in the classroom and in their extra-curricular school activities. Many teens also take on part-time jobs in addition to all their other functions. With all these activities, responsibilities and commitments, clear vision is critical.  Many times a noticeable drop in performance in the classroom, the athletic field or at their job can be attributed to a teen vision problem.

Fashion and Facebook

In their journey to becoming young women and young men, teens become more aware and involved in developing and adopting a personal style and appearance as well as nurturing relationships.  They are exploring and experimenting with different looks and fashions.  They are also introduced to the world of dating and personal relationships beyond their family that bring an even higher level of importance to personal appearance. The social networking lifestyle of today’s teenagers enables them to view and express a diversity of personal styles and appearances in many ways.  Today’s teens have a multitude of eye wear choices to compliment their needs, lifestyle and fashion preferences. Contact lenses, eyeglass frames, eyeglass lenses and sunglasses offer an extensive selection of choices and flexibility to match a teenagers’ evolving maturity.

Talk to Your Eye Doctor About Teenage Life

As with all stages of life, it’s important to discuss your life with your eye doctor. Your optometrist was once a teenager and understands that period of life. Sharing the demands placed on your vision as a teenager will help your eye doctor keep your eyes healthy, your vision in focus and provide you with the style and fashion you want.

When you become an adult and look back at your teenage years with wonder, you’ll be glad you focused on your eye health and eye care to see those years clearly.

To learn more about quality eye care and eye wear, please visit http://shawneeoptical.com.