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  1. #1
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    Default 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?
    Last edited by gordo; 04-24-2010 at 01:48 PM. Reason: Update

  2. #2
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    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.
    DD1 - 1996
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  3. #3
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    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.

  4. #4
    Karenn is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    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.

  5. #5
    hez is offline Ruby level (4000+ posts)
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    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.'
    Heather
    Mommy to DS (9/03) and DD (5/08)

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karenn View Post
    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.
    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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    1964pandora is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    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/
    Last edited by 1964pandora; 04-03-2010 at 09:25 PM.

  8. #8
    Karenn is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by gordo View Post
    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.
    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.

  9. #9
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    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.

  10. #10
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    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    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.)
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

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