Glasses to correct 20/40 vision in a 4 year old? UPDATED IN OP

thanks again everyone. I did take her to a ped. Opthamologist today. She agreed she was 20/40 and nearsighted but said she absolutely does not need glasses for kindergarten. We are to have her checked every year but it could be a few more years before she needs glasses. I am so glad I went with my gut and got a 2nd opinion.

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I took DD to the eye doc today to get her vision tested for Kdgt. I was quite surprised when the doc told me she needed glasses. Her vision tested at 20/40 and she is nearsighted. It honestly doesn't sound all that bad to me. She at first said she would just need them to read the board at school, but then she said she should just wear them all the time to avoid losing them.

If DD needs them, then fine, but I am not convinced she really needs to be wearing glasses all day. And how much of reading from the board is she really doing in Kindergarten? i went to an optometrist and am wondering if I should follow up with a pediatric opthamologist.

Anyone have a child with a similar prescription and told they don't need glasses?

I was just talking to a neighbor yesterday about this. My dd (4yo) just got glasses for other vision issues, but my neighbor said her kindergartener was told she needed glasses for the same reason as your dd. The dr said she would just need to wear them to see things far away. Given that in kindy there isn't too much board time, the glasses won't stop her vision from getting any worse, and it's kinda ridiculous to expect a 4-5 yo to take on/off glasses only when necessary....she's delayed getting her dd glasses. Maybe next year for 1st grade. Don't know if that's the "right" decision, but that's what she's doing.

If you're worried about the dx, I'd get the second opinion from a pediatric opthamologist before deciding against glasses. I'm not sure what the right thing to do is in your situation, but as a mom to a kindergartener and a 1st grader, I can attest to the fact that they need to see things that are far away in the classroom. Both of my daughters' have smartboards in the their classrooms, and they need to be able to see things like the alphabet that runs across the top of the front of the room or examples of work the teacher expects them to follow. There's not a lot of "board work" per se, but not being able to clearly see something 10 or 15 feet away might hold her back.

I'd take her to the pediatric ophthalmologist. (I guess I'm confused though, about whether you initially saw an optometrist or an ophthalmologist that didn't specialize in pediatrics.) I guess regardless, I'd vote for either glasses or a second opinion.

DS scored 20/40 on the school & pediatrician vision test. Turned out his vision was actually 20/70 when we took him to the ophthalmologist. That seemed a lot worse to me. He's also near sighted. Also, it's my understanding that DS has a type of issue that can actually be improved if it's caught & corrected before age 9. After age 9, they are stuck with it. And finally, DS was 7 when he got his glasses. They were not well received, particularly because he was worried about the social ramifications. I've often thought that he might have been much more receptive to glasses if we'd gotten them when he was younger and not quite so aware of his peers' reactions.

DS's kindy teacher used an overhead projector at least 3 times a week. She used it to demonstrate how to write letters, or to help the kids with worksheets.

That said, DS's eye doc said he could wait on glasses in kindy, and we did. He got them this past summer before 1st grade, and while he didn't 'need' to wear them constantly when he first got them, it was our choice & we chose to have him wear them. He tells us now that things look a little fuzzy without glasses which concurs with what the eye doc told us-- you can decide to have him wear them sometimes vs. always, but eventually he'll need to be in them full time, anyway.

I have to say that to date DS hasn't complained about his glasses, or about any teasing. It might have to do with the fact that a friend he idolizes at church who's 4 years older has glasses so they're 'cool.'

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Originally Posted by Karenn

I'd take her to the pediatric ophthalmologist. (I guess I'm confused though, about whether you initially saw an optometrist or an ophthalmologist that didn't specialize in pediatrics.) I guess regardless, I'd vote for either glasses or a second opinion.

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I took her to an optometrist because I truly thought nothing was wrong. i was in complete shock when they said she needed glasses. This girl can spot a bird a mile away! I think I will just pay out of pocket for a 2nd opinion. Thanks everyone.

It makes me mad that a doctor would recommend that you get eyeglasses for a 4 year-old with 20/40 vision. My apologies to people who have followed that advice and I mean no disrespect, but there is no way I would follow that recommendation. Many children have 20/40 vision at that age. Your daughter's eyes are still developing and I would bet that she can see really well. I thought the article below was pretty informative about the eye exam industry. Also, if you can get a hold of the book, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor," by Robert Mendelsohn, (it should be in any library) he has a whole chapter on pediatric eye exams, etc. called, "Protecting your Child's Vision." Best of luck!

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/d...ell-you-11382/

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Originally Posted by gordo

I took her to an optometrist because I truly thought nothing was wrong. i was in complete shock when they said she needed glasses. This girl can spot a bird a mile away! I think I will just pay out of pocket for a 2nd opinion. Thanks everyone.

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Yeah, I didn't think anything was wrong with my DS either! I nearly fell over as I watched him fail his vision test at school. I'd just never seen any evidence that he couldn't see. Interestingly, DS knew. He has one "bad" eye and one "good" eye and he figured out that one eye was blurry. On the day before his ophthalmologist appointment DS was convinced he'd come home with glasses, while clueless DH & I kept telling him his eyes might not be "bad enough" for glasses. Good luck with the second opinion. I think with vision it's better to find these things out for sure, particularly if it's one of those things that can be corrected for good if you catch it young enough.

My DD tested at 20/40 last summer when she was 6, at her regular optometrist. The optometrist encouraged us to wait until DD was 7 to consider getting glasses. Apparently correcting 20/40 vision this young is controversial, and she felt it was better for kid's eye development to hold off. So far DD has not had any problems in 1st grade with reading boards. I periodically ask when we're driving to help me read road signs, and she is doing well there too. Both DH and I got glasses in 2nd grade, so I suspect DD is not far away from that, but I don't think any harm is being done by waiting at this point. I would definitely vote for a 2nd opinion. Though, 4 does sound young to already be 20/40 since my DD was tested at 4 as being far-sighted then.

I do sometimes wonder what older DD's vision was when she was younger. She got glasses when she was 6, but she really needed them at that time and some behaviors issues were solved at school. (She kept getting out of her seat to look at things...turns out she couldn't see them before. Oops.)

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Originally Posted by 1964pandora

It makes me mad that a doctor would recommend that you get eyeglasses for a 4 year-old with 20/40 vision. My apologies to people who have followed that advice and I mean no disrespect, but there is no way I would follow that recommendation. Many children have 20/40 vision at that age. Your daughter's eyes are still developing and I would bet that she can see really well. I thought the article below was pretty informative about the eye exam industry. Also, if you can get a hold of the book, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor," by Robert Mendelsohn, (it should be in any library) he has a whole chapter on pediatric eye exams, etc. called, "Protecting your Child's Vision." Best of luck!

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/d...ell-you-11382/

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It's true that many children at that age have 20/40 vision that does not require glasses. BUT in general, children are naturally farsighted. As children grow, their eyes change shape and become less farsighted. However, the OP's child is nearsighted. Nearsightedness does not get better with age, but usually gets worse.

I read the article you linked to. I found the points about eye exams and the glasses to be very contrary to my experience, both for myself and for my son. My son has worn glasses since he was 2 for severe farsightedness and extreme astigmatism. He has some very complex vision problems, so I've done a fair amount of reseach on children's vision.

A child with 20/40 can probably function in everyday life resaonably well with out glasses. My son's best corrected vision (how he sees with glasses) is 20/50. For the most part he is able to function OK, not great, but OK. He does well for the most part. He is able to see most of his school materials and reads just about everything, although high contrast colors and fonts help a lot. He can't see most of the animals at the zoo. He can't see movies. He gets a lot of eyestrain and headaches.

Personally, I would get glasses for a nearsighted 4-year child with 20/40 vision, although I might not for a farsighted 4year old with the same visual acuity.

This is testing my memory. My daughter is in 1st grade now and she got glasses a year ago.

I *think* the school nurse said that they passed 20/40 in Kindergarten, but needed 20/30 in 1st grade? I might be off a bit.

Anyway, my daughter was checked in the fall (kindergarten last year) by the school nurse and she passed their criteria. Then, in the spring, the nurse at the pediatrician checked her and got 20/50, so I had the school nurse recheck her and we ended up at the eye doctor. My daughter got glasses. She did see better with the glasses. I was really worried about her wearing them, but it has honestly not been a problem at all. In fact, she gets up in the morning and she immediately puts them on and leaves them on until bedtime at night. She does prefer to remove them for her tumbling class.
She does have fingerprints all over them. We keep a safe cloth in her backpack and in various places in our house (and my van and my purse). We always clean them for her at night after she removes them, but she knows how to clean them if she wants to during the day (which she rarely does).
She has NOT had any problems with kids making fun of her. I was worried about that last year, but it has not been an issue at all. I actually think she looks really good in her glasses and she's had many compliments, so that has helped a lot too.
I have also made a point of complimenting other kids when I notice they have new glasses since I noticed how much it really makes them feel good.

My daughter went to the eye doctor 3 times last year and it drove me insane. The school nurse checked her again this past fall and back to the eye doctor we went. Then, she rechecked her a month later and back to the eye doctor we went again for the 3rd time in one calendar year. The eye doctor said the change was so slight that we didn't even have to do anything. The school nurse can't test them that accurately and well, kids are very hard to test. The eye doctor did give us the last lense change and eye exam free though since it had only been a month.
When we noticed our daughter was unable to read a big sign one day, I talked to the eye doctor and he said that kids really don't have their depth perception (which is why they are so clumsy), etc. until they are about 8-10 years old, so unless we noticed her squinting a lot or having trouble seeing things regularly, not to worry about it and just wait for her annual eye exam.

I hope that helps.

For what it's worth, I am glad we got my daughter glasses. She's handled it quite well and she does notice a difference enough that she *wants* to wear them.

Toby is nearsighted, just like his mother and his father. When we got him glasses, he stopped getting headaches from squinting.

He drew the short genetic straw on vision.

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Originally Posted by 1964pandora

It makes me mad that a doctor would recommend that you get eyeglasses for a 4 year-old with 20/40 vision. My apologies to people who have followed that advice and I mean no disrespect, but there is no way I would follow that recommendation. Many children have 20/40 vision at that age.

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I tend to agree. My DD just had her 4 yr check-up and tested 20/40. Her pediatrician said that is normal for 4 yr olds, and that she did not require corrective eye glasses or additional testing. And this is a ped. who is especially concerned about vision issues and spent a long time with us on vision history in the family etc (DH and I are both near-sighted). So I'm puzzled as to why your 4 yr old with the same vision is being recommended to get glasses. I agree with the others who have recommended a second opinion.

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Originally Posted by citymama

I tend to agree. My DD just had her 4 yr check-up and tested 20/40. Her pediatrician said that is normal for 4 yr olds, and that she did not require corrective eye glasses or additional testing. And this is a ped. who is especially concerned about vision issues and spent a long time with us on vision history in the family etc (DH and I are both near-sighted). So I'm puzzled as to why your 4 yr old with the same vision is being recommended to get glasses. I agree with the others who have recommended a second opinion.

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Citymama - did they say if your DD was nearsighted or farsighted?

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Originally Posted by gordo

Citymama - did they say if your DD was nearsighted or farsighted?

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In the OP she says she is near-sighted.

I don't know what kids eye development is like. I do know that I needed them long before I got glasses. I was like "wow, the world isn't all fuzzy?" I was 10, but had no idea what I was seeing was different to anyone else, as it had always been that way, so I never told anyone I had trouble seeing things.

OP, if you're not sure, get another opinion.

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I was like "wow, the world isn't all fuzzy?"

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That's what my older DD said when she got her glasses. No, no mommy guilt there.... Since she could read books fine we assumed there was no problem, but then we noticed she couldn't read street signs at a distance, even large ones.

And I said before, she stopped getting in trouble so much at school, because she stopped getting out of her seat to read things. It never occurred to her that other people could see the things that she thought were fuzzy, so she didn't mention it!

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Originally Posted by niccig

I do know that I needed them long before I got glasses. I was like "wow, the world isn't all fuzzy?" I was 10, but had no idea what I was seeing was different to anyone else, as it had always been that way, so I never told anyone I had trouble seeing things.

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That was me in high school. I was like WOW, you are supposed to be able to see the board without squinting? Who knew!? And street signs- I had no clue you were supposed to be able to see them from a distance. It's amazing to see the details in clouds and leafs for the first time in a looooonnnnnggg time. I think I needed them around Toby's age- he has had them since he was just turned 6. But I got them when I was close to 17.

I actually don't know what older DD's vision is on the "20/X" scale, but based on her prescription, I estimate it was about 20/50 when she got her glasses.

Update in OP

My 9 year-old has 20/40 vision (and has for the last year and half). He has singnificant trouble seeing the board or watching t.v. or movies. For him, this truly is a significant vision deficit, and he greatly benefits from wearing his glasses.

Today, his soccer coaches came over to tell me he was trouble seeing their hand signals from any further than 10 yards away. Though I am suprised by this, I will look into getting him presciption sports goggles.

For me, the fact that his visual impairment is minor does not matter; if he has trouble, than we do what we can to remedy it. That's all there is to it.

ETA: My son takes his glasses off for reading or close work. He doesn't need them for close work and he says he's more comfortable without them. We haven't had any trouble with him losing them. The nice guy who runs the optical shop we go to for glasses has a catch phrase that seemed to click with Jack: "On your face. Or in the case. No other place." He's been pretty good about following that rule.

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Originally Posted by lmintzer

My 9 year-old has 20/40 vision (and has for the last year and half). He has singnificant trouble seeing the board or watching t.v. or movies. For him, this truly is a significant vision deficit, and he greatly benefits from wearing his glasses.

Today, his soccer coaches came over to tell me he was trouble seeing their hand signals from any further than 10 yards away. Though I am suprised by this, I will look into getting him presciption sports goggles.

For me, the fact that his visual impairment is minor does not matter; if he has trouble, than we do what we can to remedy it. That's all there is to it.

ETA: My son takes his glasses off for reading or close work. He doesn't need them for close work and he says he's more comfortable without them. We haven't had any trouble with him losing them. The nice guy who runs the optical shop we go to for glasses has a catch phrase that seemed to click with Jack: "On your face. Or in the case. No other place." He's been pretty good about following that rule.

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Yes, this isn't an issue for a 9 year-old . The question is whether you should correct a child under 5 who has 20/40 vision. Children's vision reaches full capacity at about age 5. Many 3 year-olds function quite well with 20/40 vision and it is probable that their vision will reach 20/20 by age 5 unless they have an eye defect. Some doctors will prescribe corrective lenses for the 3 year-old with 20/40 vision and no specific eye defect. That's what concerns me. I have no doubt in my mind that there are unscrupulous eye doctors in many malls in America along with the good ones. I think glasses can be absolutely adorable, but I don't know anyone who would choose glasses for their child unnecessarily. Glad to hear you had a good outcome, OP.

Gotcha. You were talking about a child under 5.

I have a Kindergartener, also, who is 6 1/2. Kindy-aged kids range in age. Probably some of them are still in that "growing into their eyes/vision" phase and some with 20/40 vision at that point really need correction.

I'm also glad for the OP that everything worked out! : ) Trusting those Mama instincts is the way to go!

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Originally Posted by lmintzer

Gotcha. You were talking about a child under 5.

I have a Kindergartener, also, who is 6 1/2. Kindy-aged kids range in age. Probably some of them are still in that "growing into their eyes/vision" phase and some with 20/40 vision at that point really need correction.

I'm also glad for the OP that everything worked out! : ) Trusting those Mama instincts is the way to go!

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Lisa, sorry, rude to quote you. Just want to keep it straight that I was referring to recommendations for the 5 and under crowd with "normal" 20/40. The OP's child is 4. I think it's sad, but I don't think we can just blindly trust the first doctor who says our 4 year-old needs corrective lenses. I wish we could.

No problem. I didn't read carefully enough, either. I was thinking you were talking about all Kindergarten kids, and I was thinking, not all are that young. I'm sure you are correct about the under 5 crew still developing vision-wise.
: )