At what age can children wear contact lenses. How many years you can wear contact lenses When the doctor prescribes lenses

Many children do not like to wear glasses, they think that their appearance looks worse. The need to wear glasses can contribute to the fact that the child will feel insecure, his self-esteem will begin to fall, it will be difficult for him to communicate with peers. Therefore, contact lenses are considered the best way to solve their problem. But is it possible for children to wear lenses, and at what age is it better to do this? We will deal with this issue in this article.

Benefits of children's lenses

The appearance of vision problems in children requires a mandatory visit to the ophthalmologist. The doctor must conduct an examination and choose the appropriate method of correction. The ophthalmologist must take into account the child's reluctance to wear glasses, and therefore he can fit special lenses. The doctor uses a special

Benefits of contact lenses for children:

1. The lenses do not interfere with sports, games, which is very convenient, because children are very mobile and active.
2. The field of view in lenses, unlike glasses, is not narrowed. The child clearly sees all the objects around him.
3. Lenses increase self-esteem, give self-confidence.
4. Replacing lenses when they are lost is cheaper than buying new glasses.
5. Lenses can be worn with astigmatism.

Read how to put on contact lenses correctly.

At what age can a child wear lenses

Ophthalmologists believe that age does not affect the process of using contact lenses. But it should be remembered that very young children will not be able to follow the rules of hygiene, which in this case are very important. Often, children under the age of seven or eight have not yet developed a sense of responsibility, so they cannot adhere to strict rules. It is believed that lenses can be prescribed when a child reaches the age of eight to ten years.

If vision problems are discovered at an earlier age, then doctors do not prohibit wearing lenses. In this case, the task of parents is to explain to the child the need to care for lenses. They must teach him how to use the optics correctly so that there are no complications later.

It is written about the care of lenses for long-term wear.

Studies have been conducted in which it was determined that eight out of ten adolescents easily cope with the care of lenses after three months of using them.

Many parents are concerned that wearing contact lenses can worsen their child's vision. Indeed, myopia often progresses in school-age children, and over time, more and more "strong" contact lenses will be required. But the factor in the development of myopia in this case is not lenses, but a large visual load. Ophthalmologists believe that lenses do not slow the progression of myopia.

You can find out about long-wear soft lenses at.

Selection features

Properly fitted contact lenses, both for nearsightedness and farsightedness, should:

• Be comfortable and made from eye-safe material.
• Have the correct radius of curvature, diopters and thickness.
• Have an optimal diameter for the eyes.

According to the mode of wearing lenses are divided into:

1. Daily wear lenses. They need to be removed before going to bed, treated with a special solution and stored in a container.
2. Extended wear lenses. They can be worn without removing for a week or more.
3. Flexible lenses. Can be worn up to two days in a row.
4. Lenses for permanent wear. They can be worn for a whole month.

You can learn more about multifocal contact lenses at.

With myopia and farsightedness, spherical lenses are prescribed, with astigmatism - toric lenses.

It should be remembered that if a child has contraindications to wearing lenses, then they cannot be used. To factors preventing contact lens wear relate:

• Eye inflammation: conjunctivitis, keratitis, scleritis, uevitis, blepharitis and so on. Lenses can cause irritation, poorly pass oxygen, and therefore can lead to an exacerbation of inflammatory diseases.
• Inflammation of the lacrimal sac, obstruction of the lacrimal ducts and insufficient production of lacrimal fluid. First you need to eliminate these problems, and then you can wear lenses.

Read about permanent wear lenses.

With myopia

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is a vision problem that makes it difficult for a person to see distant objects.

Only an ophthalmologist can choose the right lenses. In no case should you experiment and choose lenses for a child on your own, otherwise your vision will worsen even more. The ophthalmologist conducts an examination, during which he determines visual acuity, the condition of the cornea and other structures of the eye. Based on this, the doctor selects the necessary optical power of contact lenses and their other parameters. In most cases, soft contact lenses are prescribed for myopia.

The longer the period of wearing lenses, the more careful care they require. The best option for children is disposable contact lenses.

Stages of selection of lenses for myopia:

1. Going to the ophthalmologist's office where a complete examination is carried out, but on the basis of which the doctor will give his recommendations.
2. Buying lenses. When buying lenses, you should give preference to well-known manufacturing companies, whose products have already established themselves in the market as high-quality. In general, it is best to consult an ophthalmologist on this issue if you are purchasing lenses for the first time.
3. The choice of lenses depending on the period of wearing. The shorter the period, the better, because with prolonged wear, microbes and deposits accumulate in greater quantities.
4. Lens cost. Do not chase profit and buy cheap lenses that can harm the health of the child's eyes.
5. Lens material. Silicone hydrogel is recognized as the best material. It passes oxygen well, and provides moisture to the eyes throughout the entire period of wearing.

With farsightedness

Farsightedness or hypermetropia is a visual impairment characterized by the fact that a person has difficulty seeing objects located at a close distance from him. Properly fitted contact lenses to correct farsightedness should help your child see well both near and far.

If the lenses are chosen incorrectly, then the child will feel discomfort, irritation, overwork.

As with the selection of lenses for myopia, an ophthalmologist should select lenses for the correction of farsightedness. Farsightedness can be corrected with spherical lenses. And if the child does not see well both close and far, then he will be discharged who have several zones that are responsible for the correction of near and far vision.

Video

The life of modern children is closely connected with various gadgets. They use mobile phones, tablets, computers every day, often watch TV. Due to this, the number of children requiring vision correction has recently increased significantly. Parents and ophthalmologists have come to the conclusion that the best option for a child is not glasses, but Acuvue contact lenses.

Benefits of contact lenses

Glasses, unlike lenses, make it impossible to continue to lead an active lifestyle and play sports. Many children are embarrassed to wear them. Often this becomes a serious problem.

Contact lenses do not limit the child's freedom of action. They are absolutely invisible, which is especially important for the social and physical development of the child. They cannot be damaged, broken or lost. They are much more effective than glasses, provide better contrast and brighter images without restricting the viewing angle.

When can you start wearing lenses?

The greatest difficulties for a child may arise during the care of contact lenses. The age at which children are allowed to wear them depends on the nature and responsibility of the child. As a rule, ophthalmologists prescribe lenses from the age of 12-14. Some children can be trusted to wear them much earlier, but with the help of parents. If the child responsibly fulfills your instructions and observes personal hygiene measures, you can safely change glasses for contact lenses.

What are the age restrictions?

There are several reasons for the limitation in early lens use. The completion of the development of the eyeball and cornea occurs at 14 years of age. Incorrect selection of vision correction products, non-compliance with hygiene and tips for caring for them can adversely affect eye health. Often children forget to remove their lenses at night, do it carelessly and store them incorrectly. This can lead to eye infections and disturbances in the normal development of the visual organs.

For starters, you should choose Acuvue Trueye disposable contact lenses. It is enough to learn how to carefully put them on and take them off. When the child gets used to it, you can choose a reusable option for him.

They need to be corrected with the help of physiotherapy and special therapeutic exercises.

It is also important to wear glasses or lenses to improve the clarity of vision. Modern parents choose the latter as they are not noticeable and do not restrict the view.

The use of glasses in childhood is more reasonable, there is no need to maintain hygiene and wash products regularly. But since many children are embarrassed to talk to others about poor vision, parents are interested in the question of whether they can wear lenses.

You can wear contact lenses for vision correction but from a certain age. Optics are prescribed for astigmatism, myopia, hypermetropia, congenital cataract, keratoconus, and congenital abnormalities of the lens.

Minimum age for wearing contact lenses

Question: At what age can children wear contact lenses? relevant among parents. It is advisable to switch to their use in adolescence.

Soft day

Soft contact lenses for children and teenagers are safe. Doctors prescribe them from the age of eight, because at this time they can already put on and take off independently, monitor hand hygiene and properly care for optical products.

Studies have shown that complications develop even less frequently than in adults. Because they are more responsible for the cleanliness and care of optical products.

LCLs are only worn during the day. They are gas permeable and have a high water content. Do not dry the eyes and do not cause dry eye syndrome.

Orthokeratology products are intended for use at night time. Wear them for at least 8 hours a day. During this time, they act on the cornea, improve visual clarity.

In the morning, night vision correction removes go all day without them. You don't need to wear glasses. By evening, vision deteriorates, so you need to use them every night.

Such contact lenses are allowed to be used by children from the age of 10.. It is mainly prescribed for deformation of the lens or cornea, keratoconus. Orthokeratological means of contact correction of vision also stop the development of myopia. After 1 year of use, vision improves significantly.

colored

These optical products are allowed to be used for holidays, carnivals and everyday wear.

It is undesirable for children to use colored contact lenses for vision correction and treatment of eye pathologies.

Contact optics are absolutely safe with proper care.. Children are more mobile, run a lot and play sports. Glasses can break at the most inopportune moment, and CL will not fall out of the eye.

If put on with dirty hands, infection and the development of an inflammatory process are possible.. To prevent this from happening, parents at first will have to control the process of putting on and taking off optics.

Otherwise, the means of contact vision correction are absolutely safe, and even safer than glasses.

Contact lenses are better, and there is plenty of evidence for this:

• CL adhere to the cornea. They move with the child's eyes, providing a complete view. Peripheral vision improves.
• Contact products do not fog up in cold weather. When it rains, they do not interfere with normal vision of the world around.
• They don't have a frame and are hard to see.
• Do not fall when tilting the head forward while reading or putting on shoes.

The main advantage is the psychological comfort of the child. Self-esteem of adolescents increases with the use of CL. Using glasses, they can let go of unpleasant words in their direction, causing self-doubt, which subsequently affects academic performance and position in society.

The ophthalmologist is engaged in the selection of funds. At the first visit to the doctor, he prescribes a complete examination, intended for young and small patients.

The ophthalmologist examines the condition of the anterior part of the eye to exclude contraindications, in which the use of CL becomes impossible. Then the doctor using special devices finds out the parameters of the child's eye.

It is important to find out the base curve, diameter, degree of visual impairment and optical power.. The doctor gives a product that is suitable for the listed parameters. The child walks ineat for 2-3 hours, talk about sensations.

The ophthalmologist examines the fundus of the eye in the product, determines the clarity of visual perception. If they are suitable in all respects, do not cause visual distortion, discomfort, irritation and redness, the doctor writes a prescription.

If necessary, the patient tries on several types of optics in order to choose the most optimal option.

It is recommended to use one-day products. Such funds are put on in the morning and disposed of in the evening. They are the safest, eliminate the risk of infection, since they are not reused. One-day products do not need to be looked after.

Reusable optical products are allowed to be used. Recommended period - noover 30 days. Longer-lasting contact lenses are allowed to be bought during adolescence.

The shorter the period of use of optics, the better. Children do not always follow hygiene rules correctly and may sometimes forget to change the disinfectant solution in the container.

It is not difficult to take care of long-term wear products. It is necessary to wash the products for 5 seconds on each side with a multifunctional solution. The neck of the liquid bottle must not come into contact with any surfaces.

Every day, the liquid is also changed in the container, since the previous one may contain a large number of pathogenic microorganisms. Before changing the solution in the container, it is washed with distilled water and dried.. The container itself is changed monthly.

If the solution runs out, you can not pour it into another bottle. Mixing solutions from different manufacturers is not recommended.

Proper storage and care of lenses will keep your eyes healthy. Regular replacement is not done for fun, it is extremely important to protect the eyes from infections.

Children from the age of 8 can wear contact optics on their own. At first, they face some difficulties in use, so parents need to know how to put on and take off contact products.

Putting on sequence:

• Wash hands with antibacterial soap wipe with wet wipes or use a disinfectant spray. Wipe with a dry towel, because the products will stick to wet fingers.
• Open container, remove the optical product with tweezers, put it on the index finger of one hand. Edges must not be curved.
• second hand open your eyes wide. Ask the child to look up, place a contact lens on the sclera below the pupil.
• Tell the child blink slowly to get the product in the correct position.

Wash your hands again before removing the CL. Prepare a container by first filling it with a multifunctional solution.

This question can be answered unequivocally - the age at which contact lenses can be worn is eight years. Why eight? Because by the age of eight, the child becomes collected and begins to understand the responsibility entrusted to him for the care of lenses and is able to learn how to take them off in the evening and put them on in the morning. But there are situations when, according to medical recommendations, lenses are prescribed for children under one year old, and this is rather an exception to the rule.

Note! To correct children's vision, soft ones are often prescribed - one-day ones or those that should be changed at least once a month.

Everything is clear with one-day ones - in the evening I took it off and disposed of it. It is these lenses that are considered optimal for children to wear. They do not require processing and are absolutely harmless.

Those lenses that are recommended to be changed every week or every month require careful maintenance. It is necessary to ensure that the lenses are thoroughly washed with a special solution from the protein deposits that have accumulated during the day, in order to avoid infection of the eyeball. In the first days, you should control the process, explain to the child how to properly care for the lenses and prevent him from formally performing this serious procedure.

Long-wear soft lenses should be avoided. For long-term wear, doctors in special cases prescribe rigid gas-tight contact lenses. Indications for wearing them are diseases such as keratoconus or myopia. Rigid lenses are very inconvenient, because the eye feels them as something foreign, and therefore it will take time to get used to them.

When should a child wear contact lenses?

In addition to the purely aesthetic moment, when a child is embarrassed to wear glasses, does not want to be "bespectacled", there are a number of diseases in which the wearing of contact lenses is prescribed by an ophthalmologist.

And the first of them is a frequently encountered lately MYOPIA or myopia. According to the results of recent studies, it has been proven that the use of contact lenses slows down the development of myopia, and sometimes stops it completely.

HYPERMETROPIA , or farsightedness, can also be corrected with contact lenses. Moreover, wearing lenses, unlike glasses, gives the child a more accurate "picture" of the surrounding objects. And this fact, in turn, significantly reduces the likelihood of accidental injuries at home and outside of its walls.

Such a serious disease ASTIGMATISM can also be corrected with contact lenses. That gives a chance to avoid its most serious consequences - amblyopia and strabismus. Moreover, in some cases, when other methods of correction are impossible, lenses are the only way of treatment.

At ANISOMETROPIES When the refraction of the eyes is significantly different, wearing lenses will help the child avoid further amblyopia. Lenses enable both the left and right eyes to participate in the visual process, loading them and not allowing them to be lazy.

If you miss the moment and do not correct anisometropia, inevitably one eye, the one that saw worse than the second, becomes “lazy”. This disease is called "lazy eye", or AMBLYOPIA . To fix it, you need to make the lazy eye work, and for this the second one, which is used to taking responsibility, has to be closed. Agree, it does not look very nice and a rare child will gladly agree to the constant wearing of glasses with one sealed glass. And this is where contact lenses come to the rescue, one of which is specially “clouded”. She puts on the eye, which is accustomed to work. This procedure is called "penalization". It is also good because the child does not have the opportunity to "peep" with a strong eye, taking off his glasses, he has to look at objects with a "lazy" eye, thereby forcing him to work.

- the most successful way to correct vision and with AFAQIA . Unfortunately, cataracts are not only for the elderly, they also happen to children. And it doesn’t matter if the cataract is congenital or traumatic, after surgery to remove it, the best way to restore visual function is to wear contact lenses.

Where to start

Let's start with the fact that the doctor prescribed lenses. They are bought, the case is small - put on and wait for the results. But not everything is so simple. The eyes must adapt. The first day you should walk with lenses for no more than three hours, every day increasing the time by half an hour or an hour, bringing their number to ten to twelve for lenses of thirty-eight percent hydrophilicity. For sixty-seventy percent - up to fifteen hours. And it would be useful to remind you that it is imperative to remove lenses from your eyes before going to bed!

Before putting on lenses, wash your hands with soap and dry with a clean towel. Remove the lens from the container and carefully look where its front side is. Place the lens on the index finger of the working hand. With the fingers of the other hand, spread the eyelids and place the lens on the eyeball. Release your eyelids and blink gently - the lens will fall into place.

To remove the lens, also fix the eyelids, press lightly on the lens with your index finger and look up. When the lens is on the white of the eye, very gently grasp it with your thumb and forefinger and remove. Immediately place in a special solution and leave it until the morning.

So, day after day, carrying out the procedure of putting on and taking off lenses on the child’s eyes, explain to him every step, every movement, and very soon he will easily cope with these simple manipulations, elevating them to the rank of necessary daily procedures.

Security questions

Wearing contact lenses will be safe if the child learns and carefully follows all the rules for wearing and caring for lenses. The main factor of this moment is an independent desire to use lenses, not glasses. Only in this case, the child will follow all the rules for using lenses - remove them before going to bed, place them in a special disinfectant solution ... And parents will need to monitor the terms of use of the lenses worn by the child and change them to new ones in time.

Recently, lenses have appeared that can not be removed during. Manufacturers claim that these lenses are not harmful for children to wear. But almost all ophthalmologists agree that children still need to use lenses only during the daytime. Otherwise, complications of a different nature are likely.

There are also contraindications to wearing lenses. Very rarely, but their individual intolerance occurs. The body responds to lenses with an allergic reaction. If a child has diabetes, lenses are contraindicated for him. Also, during infectious eye diseases, lenses should be discarded. There is such a thing as a "dry" eye. Wearing lenses with this symptom will be uncomfortable and doctors recommend that they be abandoned. And finally, barley on the eyelid is another contraindication.

Remove lenses before visiting a bath or sauna. All hygiene procedures associated with water getting into the eyes should also be carried out without lenses on the eyes. But water sports with lenses are possible if you wear swimming goggles that are airtight and keep water out of the lenses, preventing them from being washed off.

Make sure that a child with lenses on his eyes is not in the room in which paint and varnish work is carried out.

Keep all aerosol bottles - hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants and more - out of the reach of a small child. Explain to an older child that when using them, it is necessary to protect the eyes from getting aerosols into them.

Colds, accompanied by coughing, sneezing, copious discharge from the nose, are a serious contraindication to wearing lenses by a child. This is because dilated vessels reduce the distance between the lens and the eyeball, which leads to tear stasis and an almost inevitable infection.

In addition to all of the above, the child should be explained about the need to protect their eyes from direct hot steam getting into them (out of curiosity, children like to look into the pots on the stove to see what is being cooked there).

And lastly, if a child inadvertently dropped a lens on the floor, regardless of whether it happened at home or outside, it should not be washed and used for wearing. Throw away and replace with a new one is the only right decision. But if the lens fell on a book, knee or table, ... put it in a special disinfectant solution for five to eight hours, then the lens can be used.

Why lenses and not glasses

Children are very active - sports, outdoor games or just running around during breaks. At these moments, falls, jumps are inevitable - the child often forgets that he wears glasses and, at best, they can simply fall and break, and at worst, they will break without falling and injure the face or, God forbid, the eyes of the child. Unpleasant traumatic situations are excluded when wearing contact lenses.

In addition, the circle of vision will not be limited by the frame of the glasses. When a child uses contact lenses, his field of vision is full, he sees the surrounding objects in their natural size and the distance to them is not increased or reduced, as is the case when looking through the lenses of glasses.

Colored or colorless

Teenage girls, sometimes boys, ask their parents to buy lenses for them, with which you can not only improve vision, but also change eye color. Do I need to go to them? Experts say it's better not to. can change the color of the iris, make light blue eyes - bright blue, gray-green - green - it's beautiful. But... In order to give color to the product, it needs a high density, which, in turn, makes the lenses harder compared to colorless ones. Wearing colored lenses can cause discomfort and irritation of the eyeball. Therefore, try to convince your fashionista of the inappropriateness of putting beauty, not eye health, at the forefront. If not, go to a pediatric ophthalmologist and hopefully he will help your child make the right choice.

The key is prevention

Protect the eyes of the child from diseases and prevent visual impairment within the powers of the parents. If your child is at risk - you or your spouse have had myopia or farsightedness since childhood, the child is addicted to reading and does not part with books, became interested in computer games - it's time to take action. Primary school students are the most vulnerable age. Do not think that visiting an optometrist is a trifling matter. Check your child's vision at least twice a year. Create conditions for him that will not allow the deterioration of vision to progress.

In the children's room there should be enough sunlight, and in the evening, well-organized electric lighting.

Buy your child big, bright toys. Books - with large, clear pictures. If the child begins to read, the font should be large, classic. Remember! Straining his eyesight in order to look at a small picture or read a rhyme printed in small letters, the child embarks on the path of deterioration in visual acuity.

Watching cartoons and other children's TV shows should be measured, as well as playing computer games. The maximum is half an hour.

Nutrition is also important for eye health. Every day the child should receive a portion of vegetables and fruits. Give preference to dark green fruits. Blueberries and carrots are very useful.

With eye fatigue, visual gymnastics helps. Master her technique and teach your baby.

The statistics are relentless - eighty percent of children have vision problems. And not every one of them dares to wear glasses. The disease progresses, and the child is silent about his problem. And only from you, dear parents, the full life of your son or daughter depends. Will he see the world around him in all the variety of forms, colors and colors, or will he be content with little. You need to convince him that the lenses are the solution to his vision problems, you just need to contact a specialist and fit them.

Modern children, just like their parents, cannot imagine their daily life without gadgets: tablets, mobile phones, laptops, TVs - they are all used daily. But in addition to the obvious benefits, electronic devices also have a negative impact on the child's body and, above all, on vision.

Unfortunately, the number of children suffering from myopia is only increasing every year. Thinking about the correction of their child's vision, many parents, after weighing all the pros and cons, come to the conclusion that the best option is lenses. But the question reasonably arises: at what age are children allowed to wear them?

At what age can children wear contact lenses?

Indeed, there are restrictions on wearing lenses. Too early use of this method of vision correction is not recommended by ophthalmologists for the following reasons:

1. The development of the cornea and the eyeball as a whole occurs in a child before he reaches the age of 14 years. Since the lenses are still a foreign object, their incorrect selection can affect how well the cornea will form in accordance with the norm. That is why it is important to choose the right lenses, especially in terms of "Radius of Curvature".
2. Before the age of 14, few children are able to take responsibility for the rules of wearing lenses. It can be difficult for children to control when they need to change their lenses, to take them out and put them on every day, and to ensure they are properly cleaned and stored, but some can do it at 10 years old if they understand the motivation.

• Contact lenses give children freedom of action, which is very important for their normal physical and social development. If a child wears glasses, he should always be careful and careful. He cannot play outdoor games with other children. always remember that glasses can fall and break.
• Lenses do not limit the angle of view, unlike glasses, and also provide better contrast and brightness of the image.
• Children are very sensitive to their own appearance and are often often embarrassed to wear glasses. In this case, the lenses will fit better, because. they are completely invisible to others.
• Lenses, unlike glasses, cannot be lost or broken. The latter will also have to be changed as the child grows, as well as depending on his preferences in terms of style.

All this allows you to make a decision in favor of wearing lenses, but their choice must be approached very responsibly.

How to choose lenses for a child?

If you decide to buy contact lenses for your child, you should not choose them relying on your own discretion or focusing only on price. We recommend that you contact an ophthalmologist who will select lenses, having studied the degree of myopia or hyperopia of the child, the presence of astigmatism or other eye diseases.

In our company, you can get advice from an ophthalmologist and immediately purchase the lenses that will be recommended to your child. In addition to the obvious time savings, in contrast to contacting a children's clinic at the place of residence, a doctor's consultation in our center has other advantages.

The doctor will tell the child how to handle the lenses, give instructions on removing and putting on, and the child will be able to try to carry out all the procedures on their own, under the supervision of a specialist.

The doctor will not only check the child's vision, but will select the appropriate lenses depending on their characteristics. In addition to optical power, lenses differ in the radius of curvature, overall diameter, and percentage of moisture content. Lenses from different manufacturers have different levels of oxygen permeability and different levels of UV protection. Only a doctor who specializes in the selection of lenses knows about the features of each brand and model, so the lenses will be selected with maximum consideration for the characteristics of the eyes of a particular child.

For the first time, while the habit of wearing lenses is just being formed, you can choose one-day replacement lenses for your child. They do not need to be rinsed with a solution, so it will be enough for the child to learn how to carefully put on and take off the lenses. In addition, such lenses are more hygienic, because. every day the child will put on a new pair of lenses.

The development of conjunctivitis or blepharitis, which can occur with improper cleaning of lenses designed for a longer wearing period, is reduced to zero here. When the child is already used to wearing lenses, it will be possible to pick up lenses of a two-week or monthly replacement.

Proper selection of lenses and compliance with the rules for wearing them is the key to the health of the child's eyes. If these conditions are met, lenses can be worn before the age of 14. In our company you can purchase lenses from the world's leading manufacturers and everything you need to care for them and get the necessary advice from an ophthalmologist.

You can choose contact lenses according to the free “Beginner” program, which includes an eye test, the selection of contact lenses, wearing training and the first contact lenses for free!

Children under the age of 18 must have a recent ophthalmologist's report in order to participate in the Beginner program. You can undergo an examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist at the addresses indicated or at the clinic at the place of residence.