How can i tell if my child needs glasses
How to Know If Your Child Needs Glasses
How to Know If Your Child Needs Glasses | Johns Hopkins MedicineHealth
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Undetected vision problems can impact your child’s performance both in and out of the classroom. Therefore, it’s important to understand eye health so you can recognize the signs that your child may have a vision problem and possibly need glasses.
“The visual system in a child is still developing during the first seven to eight years of life. In some cases, glasses may be necessary to help normal visual development,” says Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist Megan Collins, M.D.
Why Children Wear Eyeglasses
According to Collins, children often wear glasses for several reasons, such as:
- Improving vision
- Strengthening vision in a weak or amblyopic (lazy) eye
- Improving the position of their eyes (crossed eyes or misaligned eyes)
- Providing protection if they have poor vision in one eye
Signs Your Child Might Need Glasses
Here are a few signs that indicate your child may be experiencing vision problems and need glasses:
- Squinting. Squinting may be a sign that your child has a refractive error , which affects how well the eyes focus on an image. By squinting, your child may be able to temporarily improve the focus and clarity of an object.
- Tilting head or covering one eye. Your child might cover one eye or tilt his or her head to adjust the angle of vision in an attempt to increase clarity. This might be an indication that the eyes are misaligned or that your child has amblyopia , also known as lazy eye, which is one of the most common eye disorders in children.
- Sitting too close to the television or holding hand-held devices too close to the eyes. Sitting too close to the television, holding hand-held devices too close to the eyes or lowering the head while reading are all possible signs of poor vision. People who have myopia, or nearsightedness, have clear vision at close range and poorer vision at a distance. Bringing an object closer makes an image bigger and clearer.
- Rubbing eyes excessively. Excessive eye rubbing may indicate that your child is experiencing eye fatigue or strain. This could be a sign of many types of vision problems and conditions, including allergic conjunctivitis .
- Complaining of headaches or eye pain. If your child complains about eye pain or headaches at the end of the day, he or she may be overexerting the eyes in an effort to increase focus of blurred vision.
- Having difficulty concentrating on school work. Because children need to quickly and accurately adapt their visual focus from distant to near and on a number of different objects ranging from chalkboards and computers to textbooks and tablets, vision problems may manifest as a lack of focus on schoolwork.
What to Do If Your Child Fails a Vision Screening
Normally, vision screenings are conducted by your child’s pediatrician or school. “If your child fails a vision screening, the most import thing to do is be seen by an eye care provider for a comprehensive eye exam,” Collins says.
A comprehensive exam assesses visual acuity, or the clarity and sharpness of vision, and may also check for:
- Strabismus (crossed eyes) and eye alignment
- Depth perception
- Overall health of the inside and outside of the eye
- Indications of more serious eye conditions
If your child already has glasses, it’s important to get eyes checked by an eye care provider every year.
Optimal vision is essential to the learning process. Many people don’t realize how many problems poor vision can cause for school-aged children. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your child’s overall eye health and what you can do to safeguard it.
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ABC Children's Eye Specialists: Ophthalmologists
5 Signs Your Child May Need Glasses: ABC Children's Eye Specialists: OphthalmologistsSome children are born with vision problems, while others develop them later in childhood. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to know if your child's eyes are functioning properly. It can be especially challenging to detect vision issues when children are young and can't communicate that they're having problems seeing.
As pediatric eye specialists, our team at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists can help take the guesswork out of whether your child needs glasses or not. We recommend scheduling routine eye exams for your child when they're 6-12 months of age, 3-5 years of age, and then annually once they start first grade. By making eye exams a routine part of your child's medical care, we can help detect vision issues early and correct any problems as quickly as possible.
If you see any of the following signs that your child may need glasses, come see us at our locations in Phoenix or Mesa, Arizona.
1. Squinting, covering one eye, or tilting their head
When a child has difficulty seeing, they often squint, tilt their head, or cover one eye to try to improve their focus. These actions can reveal a variety of vision issues, including refractive errors — which impact focus — and amblyopia, a common disorder associated with eye alignment.
2. Bringing their eyes close to TVs, handheld devices, and books
If you see your child sitting closer to the television than necessary or holding books or handheld devices close to their eyes, they might be nearsighted. By bringing these objects close to their eyes, it can show that your child is trying to make images or words larger and clearer.
3. Rubbing their eyes
Excessive eye rubbing can indicate a variety of eye issues, from allergic conjunctivitis to vision problems. When your child rubs their eyes because of vision issues, it’s usually because of eye strain or fatigue.
4. Frequent headaches or eye pain
If you have a child who routinely complains of headaches or eye pain, it can be a telltale sign of eyestrain. That’s because their eyes have to work hard to focus on the blurred objects in front of them.
5. Struggling in school
When school-age children have vision problems, they often display a variety of symptoms, such as:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Short attention spans
- Avoiding reading or close visual work
- Poor comprehension or efficiency
Sometimes, children with undetected vision issues also get described as highly distractible or hyperactive. In fact, it’s common for children with untreated vision problems to get labeled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), even though they may simply need glasses.
If you think your child needs glasses, we can help. Call us at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists today.
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how to choose the right frames and lenses and teach your child to wear glasses
Olesya Ogurtsova
put glasses on her son at six months
Author profile
When my son was six months old, we learned that he had poor eyesight, severe farsightedness — + 7. 5.
This was found out at an appointment with an ophthalmologist, to whom we came about dacryocystitis - obstruction of the nasolacrimal canal. The doctor performed a standard procedure for checking refraction using a skiascopic ruler, and then suggested instilling pupil dilating drops, as this gives a more accurate result. I will talk more about this method of checking refraction later. The optometrist said that she would have to pick up glasses, but after probing the nasolacrimal canal.
After the problem with dacryocystitis was solved, we again went to the ophthalmologist at the state polyclinic, but ended up with another doctor. She confirmed that glasses were needed now - I repeat, the child was six months old at that time - and said to come to her optician to pick them up together.
Go see a doctor
Our articles are written with love for evidence-based medicine. We refer to authoritative sources and go to doctors with a good reputation for comments. But remember: the responsibility for your health lies with you and your doctor. We don't write prescriptions, we make recommendations. Relying on our point of view or not is up to you.
In that private optician, the frames didn’t fit us, it didn’t even get to the choice of lenses, and in other opticians they refused to make glasses at all, since we didn’t have a prescription. We did not know that an ophthalmologist was supposed to prescribe it, and the doctor apparently expected that we would buy glasses from her in optics.
So we went back to the clinic to get a prescription. And they got to the third doctor. But we received confirmation from three doctors that my son has farsightedness and needs glasses. Including to stop the beginning strabismus. It did not catch the eye in everyday life, but it was noticeable if you paid attention to it. After six months of wearing glasses, the strabismus disappeared, which was also confirmed by the doctor.
/strabismus/
How we cured a child's strabismus
After that, we went through the selection of frames and lenses, and also taught our son to wear glasses all the time, at home and on the street. About how to do it correctly, I will tell in the article.
First day with glassesHow to choose a frame for a child
It is best to start choosing glasses with frames, because choosing the most suitable frame is more difficult than lenses. And already for the chosen frame, lenses suitable for the thickness are selected - more on that below.
Before discussing what a frame should be, let's look at its parts.
Please note that the temple is what many are accustomed to call the bowSize. The frame needs a suitable size: not small, otherwise it will put pressure on the head and it will start to hurt, and not large, otherwise the glasses will move down on the nose and vision correction will be incorrect, as the distance between the eyes and lenses will increase. The shape of the frame of the frame should not be narrow, as it is important to cover all possible angles of vision with the glasses, and not too wide so as not to lie on the cheeks. The width of the frame itself should be such that neither the frame nor the temples go beyond the temple - and the child in glasses can lie comfortably on its side.
Check that the frame fits securely on the nose. It is necessary that the bridge and nose pads of children's frames be wide enough to properly fit on the wide bridge of the child's nose. In general, the frame should sit confidently on the head, but this is rather a subjective parental impression. Unfortunately, at this age you can't ask a child. But you can focus on the numbers - the size of the frame.
Where in Russia glasses and lenses are most worn
The size of my son's first glasses was 37When choosing the first glasses, we did not know about the sizes, so we tried on a lot of different frames. It was easier with the selection of the second frame: we immediately said in optics that we needed frames 39-41 sizes: in everyday life, the size is called by the first number - the width of the lens. The rest of the parameters were not even measured, since it is more important how the glasses fit on the child than the exact numbers.
Shape. All children's frames are made with rounded frames, oval or round. But if you meet glasses with sharp corners, remember - this is not safe.
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Resistant to deformation. I advise you to choose only "anti-vandal" frames - their temples can be bent in different directions. I was surprised that not all small frames are vandal-proof.
There are also frames with interchangeable temples: either an elastic band or a plastic stick. The elastic band is more comfortable for the little ones when they lie on their side, but it is worse for girls with long hair, as it presses them. These did not suit us: the plastic part, to which the elastic is attached, rested against the temple.
Our goggles are anti-vandal thanks to flex - "accordion" - on the temples. There are also models with temples on hinges that turn in different directions An example of a frame with interchangeable temples. Image Source: ViewpointMaterial. The frame must be soft enough not to injure the skin of the face. Most often, frames for children are made of plastic, silicone and soft polymers, but there are also metal ones.
It is important that the frame is ready to support the thickness and weight of the lens you need, so be sure to ask about this when buying.
Semi-rimless frames, which have a frame only along the upper border, and especially rimless frames, in which there is no frame on all sides, and the lenses are attached to the temples with screws, do not combine with heavy and thick lenses.
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There are many options for lenses, but the general rule is that the more correction required, the thicker the lens will be, and thinner lenses with the same degree of correction are more expensive. I will tell you more about lenses later.
Appearance. The frame must cause minimal rejection in the child. When trying on different frames for our son, we noticed that he took off some frames literally in the first moment, while others could suffer a little. I couldn't figure out what it depends on, but we chose the one that he didn't pick right away. Focus on the choice of the child, even if you cannot understand its reasons: perhaps this will make it easier for the baby to get used to the glasses.
It is very important that the sight of a child in these glasses causes a minimum of negativity among parents.
When we chose frames for the first time, we did not know about the sizes and were guided mainly by the general impression: whether it looked too big - there were most of them, and whether it suits the child - of course, there was not one of them.
As a result, we settled on almost the only one that was suitable in size and had a beautiful color. It was then that I realized that the frames look good on my son, but at first I could not accept that now my son will look like this most of the time.
12,542 R
we spent on glasses for our son
other diopters.
Our Nano Bimbo Baby frame made of plastic with anti-vandal arms cost 1500 RHow to understand that it is time to change the frame
When you see a child with glasses every day, you do not immediately understand that he has already grown out of them. The first signs that the frame has become small:
- it does not give a full view of the eyes - if the child looks to the side, it turns out that the glasses are missing;
- the temples began to expand towards the back of the head when looking at the child's head from above.
In addition, the lenses may start to fall out: this means that the frame is no longer holding them tight enough and it's time to change it. We had this happen twice at the end of the period of wearing glasses - it was lucky that the lenses were not damaged and I just put them back in. Otherwise, I would have to buy new glasses very quickly.
How to choose lenses
What vision correction is needed, and hence the lens parameters, is determined by the doctor. First of all, he conducts the simplest check that parents can do at home. For example, it checks whether the child is following the toy, whether he squints at the light, whether he smiles in response to his mother's smile. To accurately determine refraction, the oculist conducts special tests.
In young children, refraction is checked using the skiascopy method - it is also called a shadow test. From the outside, it looks like this: in a darkened room, the oculist shines on the child in a special way, looks into his eye through the lenses located on the ruler, moves this ruler and moves the slider along it, also with lenses. At this moment, the doctor looks at the shadow on the pupil and, by the nature of its movement, determines refraction and the presence of astigmatism.
The principle of skiascopy - explainer video in English
In more modernly equipped polyclinics, instead of skiascopy, an ophthalmologist can perform refractometry using a device similar to a camera. It will automatically determine the refraction. Source: Plusoptix In addition, the doctor can perform an ophthalmoscopy using an instrument similar to a handheld flashlight. Its purpose is to examine the fundus to make sure that the eye corresponds to the anatomical norm. Source: "Hitekmed"In order for the doctor to see better and the result turned out to be more accurate, special drops are instilled to dilate the pupil. They relax the muscle that constricts the pupil, and it expands, and vision is defocused. Such drops are based on different active substances.
What drops are used at an appointment with an ophthalmologist - Aislu Zharmukhanova's blog
Refractive disorders in children - Uptodate
Tropicamide was dripped on my son and his vision was checked using skiascopy. At six months he had severe farsightedness, +7.5 in both eyes. But the doctor prescribed glasses for +5, since a slight farsightedness is normal for babies: their eyeball has not yet grown to the desired size. So, the refraction rate in children at three months is + 3.0-3.5 diopters. Farsightedness in children disappears only by the age of six or seven.
The eyeball grows most rapidly in the first year of a child's life, which means that at this time, farsightedness can be expected to decrease the fastest. Six months later, when my son was one year old, the oculist found +5.5 in both eyes - his vision improved by two diopters - and prescribed +4.5 glasses.
Three months later, when the son underwent a medical examination and visited the ophthalmologist again, he prescribed +3.5 glasses, although visual acuity did not change during this time. But my son's strabismus went away, so the doctor allowed glasses with a weaker correction.
The first prescription for glasses for my son A record of an ophthalmologist's examination when my son was first diagnosed with visual impairmentI will not tell you how to read the prescription, because the important information for parents is the degree of visual acuity, the required number of diopters and the presence of other diseases - the doctor will tell , and in optics, when making glasses, the specialist himself will take into account the information he needs.
So, the main parameters of the lenses are determined by the doctor. But parents still have to decide on a few more indicators: material, refractive index, additional coatings, as well as spherical or aspherical lenses.
Material. Lenses for children's glasses are not made of glass or mineral, as they are sometimes called, but only of polymer materials - they are called organic. This is necessary to reduce the risk of injury and the weight of the lenses.
Refractive index - index - determines how thick the lens will be: the higher this index, the lenses with the same diopters will be thinner, lighter and more expensive. In the lens description, the index is denoted by n or nd. The main indices for plastic lenses are 1.5, 1.54, 1.56, 1.6, 1.67 and 1.74. Depending on the index, the cost of a lens can increase ten or more times.
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How much does vision correction cost in different cities?
Refractive index n=1.5
How much % is the lens thinner than with n=1.5
—
Cost of a lens
90 10 Cost of a pair of lenses0003
6220 P
refractive index n = 1.6
, how much % the lens is thinner than with n = 1.5
20 %
Linze cost
10 840 °
Cost of the Linz pair
21 680 p
refractive index n = 1.67
, how much % the lens is thinner than with n = 1.5
35 %
Linza cost
31 080 p
Cost of the Linz pair
62 62 62 62 160 Р
Refractive index n=1. 74
How much % is the lens thinner than with n=1.5
45%
Cost of the lens
43 010 R
Cost of a pair of lenses
86 020 3 Form. Lenses can be spherical - these are hemispheres with the same radius of curvature over the entire area, or aspherical - their surface has the shape of an ellipse, they are flatter. Aspherical lenses are thinner, lighter, and more expensive than spherical lenses, plus they have no side distortion, and the human eye looks more natural.
Aspherical lenses are usually chosen by those who need lenses with high optical power, as spherical lenses in this case will be very heavy and thick. But you need to keep in mind that after spherical lenses you need to adapt to them, since objects on the sides look more natural in them, and the brain is already used to "make allowances" for distortions in spherical lenses.
UV protection. It is good if the lenses are protected from ultraviolet radiation. This is important because UV radiation can cause a variety of eye diseases, and children are at risk. Depending on the length of the rays, ultraviolet radiation is divided into ranges:
- UV-A - wavelength 400-315 nm.
- UV-B - wavelength 315-280 nm.
- UV-C - wavelength 280-200 nm
Eyes and UV radiationPDF, 374 KB human eye. In the description of the lenses, either the number of nm is indicated - the limit below which all UV rays are absorbed by the lens, or the percentage of absorption of rays of different ranges. For example, a value of 355 nm corresponds to 100% absorption in the UV-B range and approximately 93% in UV-A. The higher the nm value and, accordingly, the percentage of absorption of rays, the less harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation will reach the eyes. But such lenses do not provide perfect protection: the radiation hits the eyes, including from the side, from below and from above.
HEV protection. Lenses can be protected from radiation in the blue range of visible light - this is called HEV radiation, from the English high-energy visible light. Such lenses protect the eyes from the glow of gadgets, fluorescent and LED lamps.
Is blue light bad for the eyes - Allaboutvision
How do screens affect children's development - American Psychological Association
HEV radiation induces photochemical reactions in the retina that destroy photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelial cells.
Lenses do not let through only part of this glow, like the so-called computer glasses for adults. But we solve this problem by not letting our son watch cartoons or play apps on a smartphone, and we don’t have a TV. Gadgets are harmful to children not only because of the emitted blue light, but also because of possible problems with attention and the emotional sphere, so we excluded them. This means that such protection in lenses is not required.
Lenses can also have a variety of coatings, each serving a different purpose. The anti-reflective coating eliminates glare on the surface of the lenses, which is especially important in rooms with artificial lighting. The hardening coating protects the lenses from light scratches, but it will not save if the child decides to chew on the glasses. The anti-static coating reduces the amount of dust on the lenses, while the hydro- and oleophobic coating reduces water and grease. But if the child ate carelessly or played in the sandbox, the glasses will be dirty - no coating will save.
My son's first lenses with +5 diopters were BBGR Asphor, aspheric, with n=1.6 and Diam's coating - anti-reflective, water-repellent and strengthening. They cost 2500 R per pair. When we bought our son a new frame in a different optics, we were offered to put Glance lenses, spherical, with n=1.56 and HMC / EMI coatings - hardening, anti-reflection, water-repellent and antistatic, cost 1900 R per pairHow to understand that it is time to lenses change
They have scratches. Perhaps a couple of small scratches on children's glasses are inevitable, but a large number of them do not allow the glasses to perform their function correctly.
The child began to take off his glasses more often. The ophthalmologist prescribed glasses with +5 lenses for my son at six months and scheduled the next examination in a year. My son wore glasses normally, sometimes he took them off, but not too often. But at about eleven months, I noticed that my son had "out of love" with glasses: he began to take them off much more often and resist when I put them back on.
I considered this to be another step in development, when the child simply stops liking the usual things. But at an appointment with an ophthalmologist a year later, it turned out that his son's vision had improved significantly, and these lenses were no longer suitable for him. Then the optometrist wrote out +4.5. Now I think that too strong vision correction became uncomfortable for my son, which is why he took off his glasses.
What you need to buy besides lenses and frames
Opticians offer many accessories for glasses, some of which are really necessary, and others can be completely dispensed with. I made my rating of accessories. In any case, it is better to choose them together with glasses so that they fit in size and appearance.
Case for glasses. Can be soft or hard. The first one will save glasses only from scratches, and the second one will also save them from breakage if something heavy falls on it. Cases cost on average from 150 to 500 R.
We bought our case along with glasses, but we rarely use it - only if our son sleeps on the street or on a trip. At home, when sleeping, I simply put my glasses on the cabinetReusable microfiber cloth or special wet disposable wipes. Microfiber cloths were given to us twice when buying lenses, but I don’t always use them, I often wipe my glasses with what I have at hand: for example, with the inner edge of cotton clothing. But you should not do this: the fibers of clothing, and even more so of paper napkins, can be rough and leave micro-scratches on lenses, especially plastic and coated lenses.
Microfiber cloths cost up to R100. Disposable wipes can be bought on average from R80 for 20 pieces to R1300 for 50 pieces. Disposable wipes are more convenient because they do not need to be washed.
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Elastic band. Keeps glasses from falling off the head. It is put on the tips of the earpieces. If they have holes, you can thread adjustable laces through them.
But these elastic bands did not fit my son, because they were too big and did not fix the glasses. And I didn’t take adjustable shoelaces, because my son would definitely play with them and pull off his glasses, besides, such a long loop next to the child’s neck can be unsafe.
What not to buy
Stoppers. Fitted over the temples to prevent glasses from slipping off. We bought them together with the first glasses, but in the end we didn’t use them, because we were afraid that our son would hit his eye with a stopper, tearing off the glasses. Therefore, stoppers were left until the time when the son becomes older and will consciously and accurately handle glasses. I hope that day comes!
Lens cleaner and defog. In optics, we were warned that there is no such remedy that would help against fogging when returning from cold to warm. But I still tried to buy a spray with such properties.
In general, they were right in optics: I did not see the claimed effect. Now I use the spray only to clean my glasses if the dirt - most often food - has dried. This happens about once a month. Replace such a spray can be warm soapy water, you can still use baby shampoo.
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9 “must have” things for a baby that turned out to be useless all day. It is worth taking a number of measures to teach the baby to glasses.
Introduce your child to glasses and explain what they are for. If a child is younger than a year old, he is unlikely to understand your explanations, but the very fact that the object is shown to him and even something is said about him in a positive voice will help the baby to accept this object.
I persuaded my son not to take off his glasses, because "in them he will be able to see his mother and the whole world well." But this is after buying glasses. The very first acquaintance of the baby with glasses happened like this: we chose a frame, and the optician immediately went to insert lenses into it, returned and put the glasses on the child. The son looked stunned at the master. But they managed to make friends even at the stage of choosing a frame, I think that's why the son did not resent the first moments in glasses. Later I realized that the first time I should have put glasses on my child, but due to stress, I didn’t realize.
Try wearing glasses yourself, for example computer glasses. Focus on this the attention of the baby, let's touch them.
I am slightly nearsighted, so I wear glasses, but only outside. By the way, because of this, passers-by sometimes assume that we have hereditary eye problems, and they are mistaken, because my son has farsightedness. When we started to teach our son to glasses, I sometimes began to wear my glasses at home and told him: “Look, I also wear glasses, just like you. It’s not bad and it’s not good — it’s just necessary.”
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Start wearing glasses little by little. Determine an approximate schedule: for example, today we put on glasses for five minutes at the most favorable time when the baby is in a good mood. Tomorrow for 10-15 minutes a couple of times during the day, and after a couple of weeks we are already striving for constant wear. Naturally, this is an approximate schedule: you should make your own and adjust it as you go.
We started by putting on glasses for our son several times a day when he was full and happy. Sometimes he could stay in them for 5-10 minutes, and sometimes he took off right away. If he did it without indignation, we put them on again, explaining that it was necessary.
Putting your glasses back on every time your child takes them off - within your schedule. It's tedious, but necessary. The kid should get used to the fact that glasses are an integral part of his life. If a child throws a tantrum because of the glasses, then you should first make sure that it is because of the glasses, then completely calm down, and only then return the glasses. The baby should not have negative associations with glasses.
It was hard for me: sometimes my son took them off and threw them ten times in a row, remaining in a great mood. Perhaps he took it as a game, although I certainly did not have fun.
You can try to immediately distract the child with something when wearing glasses, so that the child forgets about them. Sometimes I did this, but only at the beginning of learning to wear glasses.
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Praise your child if they try to take off their glasses but let themselves be stopped. This is how positive reinforcement works. I like to praise my son, so this item worked out especially easily.
Accept that it can take a long time to get used to the glasses, but it is really necessary. This already applies to the mood of the parents. Perhaps, sensing your determination and calmness, the child will please you by quickly getting used to the glasses. Or not fast. But someday it will certainly happen.
I didn't keep track of how long it took for the child to get used to the glasses. Throughout the day, my son began to wear glasses about two to three weeks after they were purchased. Even now he sometimes takes them off and never asks to put them on. But he is not indignant if I put it on. He wears them all day, except for bathing and sleeping.
What else should be taken into account when choosing glasses for a baby? The article deals with an example of farsightedness, and there is a way to significantly reduce the thickness of spectacle lenses with it - choose lenses of a smaller diameter. For many manufacturers, they come with the designation kids. The diameter of a spectacle lens of 50-55 mm can significantly reduce its thickness at lower cost.
A quality frame that can withstand multiple lens changes. Therefore, if the child’s head does not grow very quickly, you can choose a more expensive and high-quality frame. Moreover, a small child can react very negatively to the very fact of changing the color or type of glasses, if he is already used to his own.
As for getting used to glasses, putting them on immediately after waking up is a good practice. If a child with farsightedness is not getting used to glasses, the doctor may prescribe eye drops that are instilled to cause relaxation of accommodation. As a result, the child sees poorly without glasses and well with glasses - so getting used to them goes faster.
In general, the attitude of parents really plays a huge role. If mom and dad understand that the child needs glasses, and make every effort to ensure that he wears them, success is guaranteed.
Is there an alternative to eyeglasses for babies? Vision correction surgery cannot be done before the age of 18: the eye is still growing and vision can improve on its own. Exercise will not help the eye grow faster and, in principle, will not cure farsightedness with myopia. It is too early to put on contact lenses: the child will not allow them to be put on calmly and will not follow safety precautions when wearing them.
Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Eye Exercise - Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Just don't give up on vision correction either: without glasses, strabismus and amblyopia can develop - a "lazy eye" syndrome, when the brain begins to ignore the image received from that eye, who sees worse. And it’s easier to teach a child to glasses at this age than when he begins to understand the social negativity towards a person with glasses - I mean name-calling like “bespectacled”. I also found my advantage in glasses: if my son waves something in front of his face, there is hope that the glasses will protect his eyes. And the glasses definitely protect them from wind and sand.
Keep in mind that glasses alone do not cure farsightedness or nearsightedness. As the eyes grow, as well as the refractive power of the eyes changes and the child's visual system develops, there is a chance that vision will return to normal on its own.
Our spending on the selection and wearing of glasses is 12,542 R per year
First glasses in six months | 4800 Р |
Second points at 1 year and 4 months | 3900 R |
Lens change per year | 3500 R |
Cleansing and anti-fogging spray | 302 R |
Rubber band | 40 P |
The first glasses of six months
4800 r
Second glasses of 1 year and 4 months
3900 R
Lynz shift per year
9000 3500 rSpray for cleansing and against mating
302 R
Rubber band
40 R
Remember
- If your baby has a prescription for eyeglasses from an optometrist, you should listen and buy them because they will prevent the development of other vision problems: strabismus and amblyopia.
- Select frames according to size, comfort and appearance.
- The most important thing when choosing lenses is to follow the doctor's prescription and choose lenses that are comfortable in terms of thickness and weight. Other options can be selected as desired.
- Consider in advance what accessories you will need to buy along with your glasses: a case, a cloth, an elastic band, stoppers and a cleaner. It’s not a fact that all of them will be useful to you, but until you try, you won’t know.
- Get ready for the fact that teaching a child to wear glasses can be difficult, but it is really necessary.
How can I tell if glasses are suitable for my child?
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04. 10.2020
In general, a rather interesting question, since ophthalmologists themselves use a lot of techniques to determine the proportionality of the correction and refraction of the child.
What does this even mean?
Not all conditions of refraction require parental and physician attention. Some types of farsightedness and some types of astigmatism can easily exist in the eye of a child and at the same time do not have any negative effects on its development.
This time I propose to consider the questions and some signs by which we can understand that the glasses fit the child or the glasses were prescribed incorrectly, or were they not made quite right?
If your child has farsightedness combined with astigmatism or simply farsightedness and you have never worn glasses before, then when you put them on for the first time, the child may experience some discomfort, he may complain that he sees worse with glasses than without them. An ophthalmologist should warn you about this and you should not be afraid of this condition.
This happens because in farsightedness, the muscle that is responsible for focusing tries to help the person see better. This situation does not suit us, we put glasses on the child and try to unload the muscle responsible for focusing, thereby avoiding possible serious complications, including strabismus.
The body does not immediately understand what we want and therefore for some time it will continue to strain the muscle and, accordingly, the glasses will not fit the child.
This can happen for some time, up to two weeks, from the moment you start wearing glasses.
If a child has astigmatism and the child has not previously been prescribed a correction that allows almost completely or completely eliminate the effect of astigmatism, then at first the child may complain about the deformation of objects, the inability to assess the distance to objects, difficulty walking (due to the fact that astigmatic correction slightly refracts straight lines), slight dizziness.
These negative moments at the reception should be voiced by the doctor, usually this is all predictable, but it does not occur in every patient.
Consider option 3
After receiving new glasses, the child continues to squint, sees indistinctly, pushes the glasses to the very edge of the nose, turns the glasses at a certain angle, uses two pairs of glasses placed one after another, pulls the corner of the eye to the side, or simply complains to you about that he can not see very well - then you can suspect something was wrong.
What if you think your glasses were made incorrectly?
The easiest option is to take a prescription for glasses and these glasses. And go to the wrong optics in which you made glasses. Ask the optician or administrator to check the glasses for compliance with the prescription. I have repeatedly seen stories of using lenses that are not the same as those in the prescription, erroneously noted center-to-center distances of cylindrical correction.
If everything is in order, the glasses made correspond to the prescription, then you should contact an ophthalmologist and voice complaints.
If your ophthalmologist says everything is fine, but you stubbornly do not notice this for more than two weeks, you may need to contact another ophthalmologist and hear an alternative opinion.
Unfortunately, the standards for prescribing glasses for various pathologies in our country are outdated, among other things, some doctors create their own selection methods, which are based not on general principles and knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the eye, but on their own, sometimes very specific, knowledge.
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