little four eyes

Have you ever heard of Ficklets? Not me. At least not until a few weeks ago when someone online introduced me to them. But they are cute and apparently make all the difference for some children who would rather not wear glasses at all.

We were thrown into the world of children’s glasses back around December when we found out our oldest (5yrs old) has Amblyopia. He has between now and when he turns 10 for his brain and eyes to work together to strengthen the focus in his left eye. If glasses don’t work, there is the patching technique. ( I did get ahead of myself by establishing another contact online who actually makes attractive patches for kids. She made one for Brendan which we are not using yet, but may start soon. I plan to introduce this product to the Opthamologists at Brendan’s next appointment this month). Watch for my review on this patch in the near future.

Back to the Ficklets. These are eyeglass charms in their own way and they aren’t expensive. Brendan picked out the pair of blue dogs but Ros at Ficklets sent him a set of soccer balls too, and he chooses to wear one of each. I will add, he’s been wearing these for weeks and they stay on great! In the short time he’s had his glasses (and he wears them almost 24/7) the frame is already bent and I found a small crack in one lens ( ughhh)- he’s a boy, what can I say?

All that to say, the Ficklets have hung on VERY well. They are attached by a small rubber band you twist around the eyeglass frame and wrap onto the ficklet. Only recently did one pop off and we just used our “backup” rubber band that came with the pack to replace the missing band. I’ve never worn braces myself but know others who have and these bands remind me of tiny brace bands.

If you have a child who must wear glasses and just WILL not do it, you should consider looking into Ficklets. Ficklets might just give them the boost they need to overcome their self-consciousness about wearing glasses. Click here to read what others are saying about the difference Ficklets made in their childrens’ lives. I especially like the flower-ficklets for little girls, but I don’t have one of those

We did receive our Ficklets free in exchange for providing a review of them on my blog. Ficklets has a variety of charms available so be sure to check them out! The Ficklet motto is…”Give four-eyes a fresh perspective.”

This review was done by me and previously posted at my blog HallofFameMoms.com.

Hi, I’m pretty new to Little Four Eyes and this is my first “guest” post.  I can’t remember exactly how, but I think I may have found Little Four Eyes by searching the web after I found out my oldest, Brendan, was going to need glasses. My husband and I have two boys, Jack and Brendan (they will be 4 and 6 this spring).

Brendan started kindergarten in the fall and as is the practice, he got an eye exam at school. They sent a paper home with him saying -nothing really specific other than the results of the test led them to believe he needed to be seen by a professional. So we visited our family doctor’s office and he was tested there and I could even see there was a problem. So off to the Opthamologist we go!

After some testing there I was told he had Amblyopia. His left eye was about 20/40 or 20/60.  Thus, one eye is weaker than the other. The good news is that it was caught at a young age and he has between now and when he turns 10 yrs old for his brain and eye to work together and improve that weak eye. He is in glasses right now and he really is very good about wearing them. We picked up his new glasses around the end of December. And can I just say, boy, is he hard on them    We already have a small crack and the frame was bent. But thats a boy for you.

At first I wasn’t sure if they were helping him, but apparently his eyes had to adjust and he has told me the glasses do help him see better.  Today was our first appointment back to have his eyes checked.  His eye has improved a little! The doctor says she’ll see him again in two more months and we don’t have to patch right now. However, as a momblogger/product reviewer over at my blog HallofFameMoms I contacted Camille at FrameHuggers and she sent me a patch made specifically for Brendan’s glasses so that we could try it and do a review of them on my blog. The doctor said we could go ahead and try the patch at home if we want to. I also left a brochure for FrameHuggers with the doctor.

Glasses are nothing new to me or my husband. We have to wear them on occasion. My worst eye is my left- I think its far sighted. I also have astigmatism in both eyes. My husband has to wear them when he drives. But having a child in glasses IS something to get used to. Since Brendan has to wear them all the time except to sleep and bathe its up to me mostly to make sure he puts them on in the morning. I’ve had to make second trips to school because we’ve forgotten them in the morning. I also clean them everyday for him- whether he thinks they need it or not. How can he see through that smeary lens?

The doctor says he will need to wear the glasses till he is 10 yrs old, even if his eye keeps improving. After the 10 yr old mark, there is nothing that can be done to retrain that eye. Whatever improvement has been made, that will be that. Hopefully he will not have to wear glasses beyond that.

On a final note this experience has made me aware (as I am currently considering homeschooling the boys next year) of how important it is to get our kid’s eyes checked at a young age. I may not have noticed his Amblyopia on my own. Since the school did that initial exam and made me aware, I know now to make sure I have my youngest tested soon.

Post written by Tracy Zdelar, blogger/editor at Hall of Fame Moms.