Introduction

When you need them, you need them! Don’t think that the child is too young to wear one!, If a vision impairment is identified which can even partially be corrected by the use of prescription lenses, there’s no reason to wait!  Even the youngest child can learn to wear glasses!

Figure 1 : Babies wearing glasses If vision impairment was identified in young child and could be corrected by the use of prescription lenses, advised them to wear glasses as soon as possible. Parents shouldn’t feel upset with the news when they just found out their young child (baby, toddler, or preschooler) will need glasses. It has been estimated that 80-90% of learning process is based on vision.  Therefore, reduced vision limits the learning process and can cause developmental delay.

Why Glasses Are Needed?

Children may need glasses for long-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism or for certain squint cases. Besides, glasses can prevent their eyesight from getting worse and to avoid developing conditions such as lazy eye.

When Can A Child Start Wearing Glasses?

Children may be given an eyeglass prescription as early as one year old. For the healthy growth of the eye ball it is necessary to have a clear focused image on the retina.

What Will Happen If Glasses Are Not Worn Early?

A child’s visual system develops from birth until he/she is about eight years of age. If a child has significant blurred vision and is not corrected with glasses during this time, it can prevent the visual system from developing properly.

Will Wearing Glasses Make My Child’s Eyes Worsen Or He/She Is More Dependent On Them?

No. In fact, the opposite may be true. If a child does not wear the glasses prescribed, normal vision development can be adversely affected and may lead to lazy eyes and low vision.

Is My Child Likely To Inherit My Need For Glasses?

Possibly. If both of the parents are wearing glasses, your children are likely to need them as well How do optometrist obtain measurement of vision and spectacles prescription in babies and young children? We know that it is difficult to obtain actual measurement of vision and spectacles prescription in babies and young children especially below 4 years old. We have objective means of assessing vision.

Figure 2: Infant Eye Examination

When Should The Glasses Be Worn? How Often Must The Glasses Be Worn?

In most cases, children should wear their glasses as much as possible Many toddlers come to love their glasses because they are able to perceive the drastic improvements in vision when they wear them. Once your child realizes that they see better with their glasses, they’ll be much more likely to leave them on, and even ask for them first thing in the morning.

How Do I Teach My Child To Care For Their Glasses?

Children should be taught to remove their glasses using both hands without twisting the frame. They should keep them in a protective case and not put them face down on any surface. Use water or liquid soap and a soft cloth to clean them and avoid rough paper towels or tissues. Children’s frames usually need to be readjusted frequently. What should you do if your child refuses to wear glasses? Your support and encouragement are very important in helping your child to accept the glasses. There are several ways to keep your child wear their glasses.

• If your child refuses to wear his or her glasses, make sure the prescription is correct. If the prescription is correct, encourage them to wear and explain why it is important to wear glasses.

• Make sure your child’s eyeglass frames fit. Your child’s frames should fit properly, without pinching the ears or nose, or weighing down the face. Check points of contact periodically to make sure that there is no skin irritation.

• Choose durable frames with spring hinges for easy off and on. You might also want to consider frames that have malleable wire temples that loop around the back of the ear. This gives a more secure fit and makes the glasses more difficult for a toddler to remove.

• Comfortable while wearing the glasses. Start with just an hour or so at a time with breaks in between. Increase the wearing time until the child are able to adapt and wear them for a longer period. Even if the glasses are the correct prescription, eye strain or even headaches can often result when the wearer is getting used to new glasses.

Things to say to encourage child wearing their glasses

• Comment on something other than the glasses. The majority of comments from the parents are related to child’s glasses. For example, compliment the child’s beautiful eyes, or their smile, or how well-behaved they are.

• Comment on a specific aspect of the glasses.Rather than simply saying a child looks cute in glasses, you could talk about how the color of the glasses brings out our child’s eyes, or that their shape really compliments his face, or that the glasses really match her personality.

If you do comment on the glasses, don’t be surprised if the child is really shy or upset by it.

Figure 3: Examples of glasses baby / child

References

1. Rajah 1 : http://www.mypedeyedr.com/EsotropiaR2.htmhttp://babieswallpaper44.blogspot.com/2012/04/funny-babies-wearing-glasses.html 2. Rajah 2 : Jabatan oftalmologi, Hospital Kuala Lumpur 3. Rajah 3: http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/The-rascal-rabbit-child-glasses-frame-baby-candy-color-rabbit-picture-frame-style-picture-frame-lens/653907910.html
2. http://www.dhgate.com/product/new-arrival-children-glasses-frame-tr90-baby/165513915.html