Glasses for Infants and Children

 

Glasses are prescribed for children to improve vision as well as to prevent and treat Amblyopia.  They may also be prescribed to help correct or reduce the size of a strabismus

 

Testing your child for glasses

Your baby’s eyes can be tested even before he or she is able to give a verbal response.  By dilating your baby’s pupil, the ophthalmologist can look at the retina using an instrument called a retinoscope.  Lenses of varying power are then placed in front of the eye in order to assess the correct strength required.

 

Choosing glasses for your child

Buying glasses for your child is an important purchase.  Glasses need to fit well on your child’s face so time must be taken to carefully select the most appropriate pair.  Choose an optical dispensing shop that has a good selection of children’s frames and takes the time to help you with your selection.  The optician should help advise you on the frames that best suit your child’s prescription, age and facial features.  Because most children have relatively flat nasal bridges, glasses can easily slide down a child’s nose, so special attention is required when fitting the frames to prevent this. It is also important to consider that most children will bend and damage their frames on more than one occasion.  Therefore, you need to make sure that the frame selected can withstand this type of handling. 

 

Management of eye problems in children is often dependent on the glasses being worn correctly.  Glasses shouldn’t slip down the nose or allow peeping over the top.  Glasses that fit well enable your child to look through the centre of the lenses at all times and this assists the visual development.  Good care of the glasses is important to prevent them from being scratched or bent out of shape.  As such, glasses should be kept in a solid case when not being worn.

  

What to expect when glasses are worn for the first time

Tolerance of glasses can be dependent on the age at which they are first introduced.  Children should be encouraged to wear their glasses as much as possible.  Sometimes you may need to gradually build up the wearing time.  Most children who need glasses adapt to wearing them quite well.  Don’t get into a tug of war with your child.  Try and distract him or her after you put the glasses on.  If you child removes them put them back on. If it happens again put the glasses aside and try again later. 

 

If you have any concern regarding the newly prescribed glasses, then you should contact us as soon as possible to make an earlier review appointment.  We will routinely check the glasses prescription every 12 months to ensure that they are the correct strength.