DD needs glasses - Any BTDT?

[pinkmomagain]

I can't believe my little 4yo needs glasses :-( I know it's such a minor thing that I just need to get over, but I'm having a hard time with it. My oldest got glasses in maybe 4th grade (?) so I have no experience with little ones.

She has slight astigmatism in both eyes and her left eye vision is weaker than the right. The dr said she needs to wear them all the time except swimming and sleeping. I'm confused though...what about when she starts soccer next month? what about gymnastics? what about gym when she starts kindy in the fall? I got her little flexible wire frames...will they hold up? Should I get her a backup pair (they were suggesting that when I picked out her frames)?

TIA

[mytwosons]

DS1 first got glasses when he was four. We also got the flexible frames and LOVE them. I was surprised, but the glasses stay on fine for soccer, rough play and gym class. I asked about getting a strap and was discouraged. I guess the straps can snap and then the kids associate the glasses with the pain from the snap.

We do have a back up pair. We got the identical frame. Next time, I think we might go with a cheaper spare. In three years, we've never broken the flexible frames. It is nice to have a spare pair around though when the first needs to be adjusted.

[AnnieW625]

We just ordered DD her glasses too and she should be getting them this week. We did not get a back up pair. I am sure she'll do just fine with them ballet, daycare, and preschool. I was going to ask here about getting a strap too, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I did get Transitions for free (insurance covered it) so that should be a good thing because DD spends a lot of time outside.

[Jenny_A]

DD is 4 and I could have written your post about 5 months ago. Her right eye is weaker than her left. She wears her glasses at school and some at home, but we take them off for gymnastics or anything where they might get in the way.

We are also in the process of "patch therapy". She wears a patch at home (not in public) to strengthen the weaker eye. It's working and we hope to be rid of the patch soon.

Don't worry about it! DD gets TONS of compliments on how cute she looks in her glasses. Be very thankful they caught your DDs issues early. Better chance of correction!

HTH!

[squimp]

My DD has been wearing glasses since she was 3. I would get a back up pair - at first she broke the glasses every so often, even the flexible frames, and it was really necessary to have that back up. That hasn't happened in a few years now though. She wears hers during sports, monkey bars, gymnastics, everything. She swims a lot, so I got her script swim goggles from AC lens. We started out using a strap, but she was comfortable without it, so stopped using it.

[sheleo]

Mine got classes in Kinder. She's gone through 4-5 pairs. We found Zinni optical online that we use now (great prices). The first pair were expensive, dad was not happy when she lost them (insurance covered just that one pair). I've also seen sport glasses that I'd consider if mine were more athletic.

[kijip]

T started wearing them this year at age 6. We have found 3 pairs really useful (we had 2, he lost 1 and after we replaced it we found the pair he lost). We leave one at school in case he forgets and we don't catch it. We leave a pair in the car. He wears them all the time except sleeping and swimming and it works fine. He does t-ball and there are other kids on the team with glasses too. I would go ahead and buy the inexpensive replacement plan they sell...he actually broke 2 pairs but the company replaced them because we had the plan. His are plastic like ours are, we could not talk him into the wire ones at all (which I thought would be less breakable). He wanted to be like mommy and daddy and we each wear plastic geek chic glasses. :ROTFLMAO:

[rlu]

DS has been wearing glasses since he was 3.5. We get the flexion brand type (well flexion brand for the first two pairs, not sure which brand he's currently wearing but it's similar). We bought a $99 plastic back-up pair when we bought his first pair but never needed them. Now we just use his old prescription glasses as backups (like a spare tire, not for long-term use, but to get him through when a screw gets lost or the frames slide off his nose). Check your insurance - my insurance changed in 2009 and now only covers frames every 2 years but lenses every year. If he needs glasses this year we'll have to reuse the frames.

The wire rimmed glasses seem to need to be adjusted more often than the plastic or metal ones I used to wear - about once a quarter so far.

DS took to his glasses fairly quickly. We asked if things were fuzzy when he didn't wear his glasses and he said there were and after that we didn't have any real issues. DS sometimes still asks why he has to wear glasses when others don't, but given how many members of my family wear glasses (and I did until he was 3), it isn't a big deal to him.

DS wears his glasses all the time except when sleeping or swimming/bath. He plays baseball.

[ohiomom1121]

DD started wearing them at 3. We started off with 2 wire pairs and she asked for "breaks" all day long. A year later her prescription changed and it was cheaper to buy new ones than replace her lenses so we got 2 new pairs (one plastic and one wire). After trying the plastic she refused to put on the wire ones and we exchanged them. I guess the nose pieces in the wired ones hurt her but she just thought that was how glasses were. Now she wears them all day with no issues. She's done t-ball and dance and worn them with no problems. One pair is red and really cute and she gets compliments every time she wears them. Here's a pic....(please don't quote with it so I can remove it later). :)

[ILoveLucy]

What a doll! Her glasses look so cute on her.

[lizzywednesday]

...I've also seen sport glasses that I'd consider if mine were more athletic.

Meh, don't bother with the sport goggles. Having worn them myself, and HATING them, I really don't think they're as well-designed as you might hope. Then again, maybe I am not being fair, considering the last time I wore sport goggles was 1992.

If you're worried about breakage, WalMart optical has been advertising a free-replacement service on TV lately, so that might be an option for you if you need a backup pair (kids' glasses tend to be tougher than adults' glasses, IME.)

Lastly, if you're worried about losing them while running, Croakies brand straps are a bit more forgiving than elastic, so I'd recommend Croakies over anything else.

[pinkmomagain]

So cute! Thanks for the pic Nikki! The eye place I got them from didn't offer replacement insurance. I think maybe when I pick up the glasses we just ordered I'll try to find an inexpensive frame and get a back up pair.

Thanks to all who responded. It makes feel a bit better knowing there are plenty of young kiddos with glasses out there doing just fine with normal kiddie activities.

[squimp]

So cute! Thanks for the pic Nikki! The eye place I got them from didn't offer replacement insurance. I think maybe when I pick up the glasses we just ordered I'll try to find an inexpensive frame and get a back up pair.

Thanks to all who responded. It makes feel a bit better knowing there are plenty of young kiddos with glasses out there doing just fine with normal kiddie activities.

Most of the glasses shops around here do offer replacement, you may want to ask around. And my DD prefers the plastic to wire as well - she doesn't like the nose pads on the wire glasses. She found them uncomfortable, but it's another thing that can break.

[Gena]

DS has been wearing glasses since he was 2 years old and will be 6 in a couple of months. He wears them full time and is a very active little boy. He has managed to break several pairs, but for the most part they have held out well.

A few random thoughts from our experience:

Personally, I don't like the flexible metal frames. DS could pull them out of shape way habitually, so after a while they didn't go back into shape too well. I perfer a stronger metal or plastic frame with spring loaded hinges.

A good optical shop with experience fitting little kids is a must. A good optician will be able to make the little adjustments that can make or break how well a pair of glasses fit. They can adjust the temple length so it wraps the ears at the right spot and swap out the nosepads for a different size/style if needed.

DS uses a Croakies strap on his glasses and loves it. It really isn't necessary to keep his glasses in place, but I think it provides some extra padding around the ears for him. When he doesn't wear the strap, he tend to have a habit of removing the glasses and playing with them, so the strap helps remind him to keep them in place.

http://littlefoureyes.com/ is a great site/blog with a lot of information and advice for parents of little kids in glasses. You should check it out!