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  1. #11
    Gena's Avatar
    Gena is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1964pandora View Post
    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/
    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.
    Gena

    DS, age 11 and always amazing

    “Autistics are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you're destroying the peg." - Paul Collins, Not Even Wrong

  2. #12
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    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.

  3. #13
    kijip is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    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.
    Katie, mama to a pair of boys.

  4. #14
    citymama is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1964pandora View Post
    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.
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by citymama View Post
    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.
    Citymama - did they say if your DD was nearsighted or farsighted?

  6. #16
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Quote Originally Posted by gordo View Post
    Citymama - did they say if your DD was nearsighted or farsighted?
    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.

  7. #17
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    I was like "wow, the world isn't all fuzzy?"
    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!
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  8. #18
    kijip is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by niccig View Post
    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.
    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.
    Katie, mama to a pair of boys.

  9. #19
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    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.
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  10. #20
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    Update in OP

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