My 4 1/2 year old daughter Jayde needs glasses, shes far sighted and has astigmatism. So shell have to wear them all the time. They should be in from the insurance company any day.
She seems excited to have them. But Im scared that she might break them or not adjust well. Any advice?

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Stephanie

My only advice is to get a cheaper, backup pair for the times they are misplaced or broken. As long as you teach calmly and let her know how pretty she looks in them, she can be responsible enough. (I've seen 2 year olds who do well w/their glasses - yet my 8 year old misplaces his constantly).

Is that her picture in your avatar? She is absolutely darling!

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Make someone's heart smile today.

yep thats my princess in my avatar. Luckily my vision insurance covered it all 100%!! So a back up pair is a good idea- Im worried because she starts school and Im hoping they dont get broken. or lost at school.

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Stephanie

I would get a second pair...just to have on hand.

My youngest has had glasses since March of 2007. She wouldn't wear them and they got stepped on with in 2 weeks. She had to have surgery in September and we have been trying really hard to get her to wear the glasses a few hours a day. She is constantly playing with them and most recently she has ripped the rubber grippers off of the nose peices. It's going to be a struggle but stick with it and she'll get used to it. BTW, mine is only 2 1/2 (3 in November). She also has astigmatism.

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Kelly

Goodness. Sounds like the track my daughter is on. She fusses about them constantly. So i was thinking if i could find glasses for her baby she might be more opt to wanting to wear them. Im definantly looking into getting a backup pair.

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Stephanie

Is there anyone close to you that she knows who wears glasses? With Rebecca, she had to get glasses right before her 1 yr. b-day (she is now 18 mo. old) as she was born with part of her cornea stuck to the lense, this caused an astigmatism and far-sightedness as well. We were told that it would be a struggle to keep them on her, etc. However, we kept telling her that when she had her glasses on she looked just like Mommy ( I wear glasses 24/7) and that she was cute. And I think that that comparison helped her. Now she only takes them off when she is tired.

We have been incredibly lucky in that they have not gotten broken yet, although we got her glasses that are incredibly bendy and we got elongated ear pieces that make it harder for her to take them off. I would recommend looking into getting a cheap pair though too, I know there are internet companies that offer kids glasses super cheap.

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Even if I don't buy a second pair of glasses, I buy a second frame for back-up parts. That second frame comes in handy in an emergency.

Feel free to take her back to the optometrist to get the glasses adjusted as often as needed. Uncomfortable glasses are a pain to wear. She shouldn't have pressure marks on her nose or ears.

It might sound weird, but my husband LOVED his glasses as a child. He hated to be without them. Without his glasses, he couldn't see well. With them he felt free. He protected them with his life because those glasses were his lifeline. He felt lucky to have them.

That said, you can select frames that are more durable than others. I like the frames with the spring loaded temples. The high impact poly-carbonate lenses are great, too. I never get coatings (anti-glare, scratch resistance, etc) because I have found them to be more of a bother than they are worth. Over time you'll learn what works for your DD and what doesn't.

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"Poor people work for their money. Rich people make their money work for them."

Our oldest ds has worn glasses since he was 2. He is also farsighted. At first it was a pain to get him to wear them, but after a few weeks he realized that he could see so much better and they became like his best friend. He even sleeps in them! We have gone through so many pairs it is not funny. A backup pair is a must...we've learned the hard way! Proper fit is also important, as has already been said. If she is getting nosemarks or they are sliding down her nose, take them to get readjusted. Also, have a little repair kit on hand at all times (they are available at the eye doctor or WalMart even).

BTW, ds gets lots of attention from 11-12 year old girls...he looks like a little blond Harry Potter (he's turning 6 in 2 months). He also recently went through wearing an eye patch to strengthen a lazy right eye, but he went for his followup last week and the eye is equal to the left now (both are 20/25 with the glasses).

Unfortunately, my 10 y.o. dd is showing signs of astigmatism and my 4 y.o. dd might be needing glasses in the next year or so. Fortunately, ds #2 (9 months) seems to have good vision so far. They will test babies as young as 6 months, and with our family history, we feel it is important to catch these problems early.

All kids are farsighted until about the age of 8, when their vision balances out. I was told this by an opthamologist (I've worn glasses since I was in high school for nearsightedness, but dh has perfect vision.)

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Christie

• Married to Mark since 1995
• SAHM to 4 (so far!): Kelly (6/98); Steven (9/02); Brooke (6/04); Michael (9/07)
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