Tell me about kids' glasses please

[essnce629]

So DS1 had an appointment at the children's opthamologist today and pretty much failed his exam. The doctor said he also has an astigmatism (so do I, it runs in my family, so I'm not surprised). So DS1 will need full-time glasses asap. I was 9 when I first had to get glasses and DS1 is 8. We looked at a few frames today at an eyeglass center in the same building, but we'll need to go somewhere else that is covered by our insurance and I would like DBF to come along too.

When I was a kid I just had one pair of glasses with plastic lenses. Nothing special, no transition lenses, no extra pair, no special ones for sports, etc but it seems like there's many more options now (I wear contacts exclusively now). If your child wears glasses what extra options did you get?

[SnuggleBuggles]

We bought ds1's first pair at the eye Dr. last April. $100 on some with scratch resistant lenses and some coverage against accidents and wear and tear. I didn't really do any fancy extras- I just did the most basic that the recommended.

He lost them in September (and barely wore them all summer).

We just went to Costco the other day and I got another pair. Costco doesn't take insurance but they were also around $100. Another basic, scratch resistant lens pair.

My advice is to go cheap just till you make sure glasses become a habit and don't get lost!

[turtle12]

through advice on the boards, i got glasses for DS from walmart. the frames are inexpensive, and they come with a one year guarantee -- if they break, walmart will replace them. invaluable for us, as DS stepped/sat on his within 2 weeks of getting them...

because of this, its a good thing we have a backup pair (that he now leaves in his backpack, so i don't have to drop them off at school if he forgets to wear them...yet another lesson learned..hahha)

we used transition lenses for one pair, but really i don't think they are that necessary.

[ohiomom1121]

DD has been wearing glasses since she was 3. She has had probably about 6 pairs. When she was younger we bought 2 pairs at a time, but now just one since she is good about wearing them morning til night. She much prefers plastic frames...the nose pieces on metal ones bother her. She just got retested and now has astigmatism and we got her new glasses, but her eyes look very magnified and the lenses seem thick. I took them back and ordered anti glare lenses (special order). They are supposed to be thinner, lighter and decrease the magnification. They can't do the high index ones which are the thinnest (what I wear) because kids have to be in polycarbonate lenses so they can't shatter. She dances and plays soccer and never had any different glasses for them. I am not a fan of transition lenses because they are never truly clear lenses (they always have a grey or brownish tint). We did purchase LensCrafters extended warranty last time for $25 and am so glad we did because they broke at almost exactly one year. They are replacing them for $25. We spent about $125 on them originally.

[essnce629]

Oops, why did I post this in the Bargains forum???? I meant for it to be in the Lounge! Can one of the mods move it for me please?

[chays]

I have 2 DSs in glasses. The each have 2 pair. One regular and one transitions. I like the flexon b/c they don't easily break...but they do distort and need to be bent back from time to time. DS1 has bee wearing them since he was 5 (now 8) and (no jinxing here please) still has the same 2 pairs. He wears the transitions in summer and the clear lenses to school. We have the anti-reflective coating. If you have a thick prescription, I would get the Polycarb Aspheric - they are flatter and reduce the thick look of the glasses. My 2 YO goes through them like they are toys, but the 8YO is AWESOME with them. Wears them 100% of the time. The best advice I got was to let DS pick out the frames -- if they don't like them, they won't wear them.

Good luck!

[mom2khj]

DD2 just got her glasses last summer. She has the polycarb ones that are supposed to be thinner because her prescription (and she's only in 2/3 strength at the moment) is so strong.

We went ahead and got the transitions because it wasn't that much through my insurance and she's outside a lot. I've never noticed them not being clear inside. She plays soccer in them. She only takes them off to bathe and sleep and swim. LOL.

We're actually going for her first follow-up next week. I can see us getting her a spare backup pair in the future.

I was worried it would take her some time to get used to taking care of them, but she does really good with them!

[Kindra178]

Although I appreciate that we need to protect our eyes and children's eyes from the sun, I hate transition lenses on everyone. They almost always look a weird gray color, especially towards the end of a summer day when the sun is not down yet. Because you live in CA, Walmart prescription sunglasses seem like a great choice.

Personally, I think plastic lenses are more comfy than wire/metal (I know some people disagree) and are much cuter on kids.

[squimp]

Although I appreciate that we need to protect our eyes and children's eyes from the sun, I hate transition lenses on everyone. They almost always look a weird gray color, especially towards the end of a summer day when the sun is not down yet. Because you live in CA, Walmart prescription sunglasses seem like a great choice.

I hear you, but when your child has a really strong prescription and they are squinting in even the faintest light, looks don't matter. DD loves transitions even in the winter and we won't go back.

We have polycarbonate lenses and a scratch-free coating and the extra light lenses, and transitions lenses. She also wears bifocals so I am really glad insurance pays because they cost a small fortune! The coating is warrantied and if it scratches we can get them replaced. DD prefers plastic frames because the nose pads on the metal frames leave little irritated spots on her nose. I'd try several and see what DC prefers.

[MelissaTC]

M's glasses have an anti-reflective coating. He has a hard time seeing without so he wears them all the time. Right now he has Nike wire frames. Up nil now he had done plastic. He likes the wire better. We get them from a local optical place.

[essnce629]

Thanks everyone! DS tried on a few frames today and all the ones we liked were wire frames. The plastic ones seemed to stand out too much and he wanted them to blend in more and not be as noticeable. I'm thinking since he's almost 8 1/2 years old he'll be ok with taking care of the wire ones and not having them break. I'll look into the more flexible frames. Do your kids just wear their regular glasses at school during P.E.? DS said one of the boys in his glass who wears glasses puts on his sports goggles during P.E. but I'm thinking that is probably not too necessary. DS is not really into sports, but did play soccer last year and did attend a sports summer camp last summer (odd for a kid who doesn't like sports!) so we'll look into getting some sports goggles if he decides to do that again.

I'll ask about getting thinner lenses too since I bet DS's lenses would normally be pretty thick since the dr. said he had a pretty serious astigmatism.

[Gena]

DS is 7.5 and has been wearing glasses since he was 2. DS has albinism (a pigment disorder), which causes structural defects of the eye. He has severe farsightedness, extreme astigmatism, intermittent strabismus, extreme photophobia, foveal hypoplasia, and misrouted optic nerves. He is lucky in that he is considered only mildly visually impaired. DS sees his pediatric ophthamologist 4-6 times a year.

DS has a very strong prescription, so we get him aspheric high index lenses in order to minimize their thickness/ weight and distortion. Because of his extreme photophobia, we get him Transition lenses. Even with theses lenses he needs to wear a ballcap when outside because his eyes hurt when exposed to sunlight.

DS also has a pair of sport glasses. We LOVE them. They are wonderful for not just sports, but gym class, amusement parks, inflatable places, and the playground. DS is a very active, but clumsy, kid. He has broken several pair of glasses in active play and in a couple of incidents he can close to injuring his eye. So it gives me a lot of peace of mind to know that DS's eyes are protected during these activities. (The danger is that the frames can break and damage the soft tissue in and around the eye. Regular frames, whether plastic or metal are not adequately impact resistant.)

DS's glasses are costly. We pay about $300-400 a pair (after insurance) and his prescription sometimes changes more than once a year. The high cost is due to his speciality lenses and very strong prescription. So we end up spending a ton on his glasses. But DS is a visually impaired visual learner, so it is critical that we preserve the vision he has. It means giving up other things, but to us this is worth it.

[sste]

We do thin lenses and my child is pretty light-sensitive so transition lenses are a must for us (they are a hair grey but DS's glasses frames are a very bright blue so you can't notice with that color frame - - other frames might have accentuated).

I will confess we also did something to reduce the glare/reflection in photos and whatever that coating is really does not work very well. I wouldn't do that again.

My DS is only four and got his glasses at 2.75. Maybe it is due to his age but his absolute favorite of his two pairs are his Miraflex plastic ones with the strap in back. That design does fog up - - there is less space due to the goggle design which presses them closer to the child's face.

I also admit I spent a fortune on glasses. Because of DS's age we had to get a back up pair - - the miraflex aren't terrible in price but the lens coatings added and we also got him a very cute pair of harry potter-looking wire rims. Hat over head here! It was worth it for us - - DS gets tons and tons of compliments on his glasses and how cute he is, he is actually vain about them! We should be able to keep the frames for two or more years. I feel like glasses and coats are "high impact" items in terms of appearance so I tend to be pickier about look for those.

[Gena]

Although I appreciate that we need to protect our eyes and children's eyes from the sun, I hate transition lenses on everyone. They almost always look a weird gray color, especially towards the end of a summer day when the sun is not down yet.

I have found that there is a HUGE difference between the Transitions brand lenses and photochromatic lenses that are some other brand. The non-Transitions brand ones are cheaper, but seem to not change as quickly and not clear completely. After a couple of bad experiences, we now make sure that DS's lenses are always the real Transitions brand.

I get Transitions lenses for myself too and love then. They have greatly reduced my headaches.

[ilfaith]

DS1 has worn glasses for about two years. He did lose a couple of pairs early on. We've always ordered a main pair with all the bells and whistles (from our Opthamologist) covered by insurance and have bought a back-up pair at Walmart.

DS2 failed his vision screening at his last pediatric appointment (and again when they tested at school). He actually has his first opthamologist appointment tomorrow. Neither DH nor I wore glasses until adulthood (I got my first pair in college and DH didn't get them until he turned 40)

[mom2binsd]

I know in IL there is a law that anyone selling glasses to children have to offer and explain about the shatterproof lenses.

I suggest getting two pairs, keep one at school and one pair at home.

Designate a specific spot for the glasses to be when not being worn.

I wouldn't worry about glasses blending into a child's face, their personality and looks will shine through no matter the glasses.

[stefani]

DS started wearing glasses a year ago, and we bought them from Costco. Nothing fancy, polycarbonate lenses. The nose part was broken, and because it is Flexon, it cost $60 to have it repaired at an eyeglass repair shop. He only has 1 pair so far. I figure that when his prescription changes he can have this one as a spare.