little four eyes

AmblyopiaKids had a fun post last month about some fabulous shirts she’d found that feature glasses.  It seems like glasses are becoming more and more trendy – at least when they’re featured on characters on t-shirts.

Stella, in her shirt featuring a skull with a heart eye patch. From lifeandtimesofstella.com

Then yesterday, Amber wrote a great post on her blog about her daughter, the little fashion visionary, Stella, and the shirts they’ve found celebrating her eyewear – both glasses and patches.  She also noted that JCrew has a pair of glasses frames for girls listed for sale on their site.  It’s unclear from the site whether or not the frames are meant to be fit with prescription lenses, or used as purely cosmetic accessories.   I have to say, if they aren’t meant for prescription lenses, I would have a hard time justifying spending the money on the frames.  After going through so many struggles just getting Zoe to wear her glasses in the beginning, it just seems crazy to me to pay money to go through that and not get the benefit of better vision.  On the other hand, it certainly says something about how glasses are viewed if they’re offered as purely fashion accessories now.

Anyone else find any interesting glasses-related kids fashions?

Jack's injuries from his fall on his glasses.

Carolyn sent in a story about her son, Jack, who is 2 1/2 and wears Miraflex glasses for farsightedness.  He had been playing with his little sister, when he fell off his bed in just the right way that his lens popped out and pushed under his eyebrow.  The resulting cut from the lens required 6 stitches to close up.  As Carolyn wrote, they’re very thankful for the Miraflex glasses, as other frames could have broken and made the injury even worse.

Ann Felicia also wrote about her son getting a cut on his face from his glasses a couple of years ago.

This is definitely something to keep in mind when you’re looking for glasses for your child.  Think about how the frames and the lenses will handle falls or accidents.  The lens material is extremely important, and for this reason, polycarbonate is generally recommended for children since it is very hard and shatter proof.

Bennett in his prescription sports goggles from http://www.zleader.com/jamn.htm

Another thing to consider is sports goggles, especially if your child is participating in sports that are rough or could cause injuries to their eyes.  Accidents will happen, and we can’t always prepare for everything, but given how much we’re trying to take care of their vision, it makes sense to also be sure we’re protecting them from injuries.

Many thanks to our newest contributor, Nikki, for writing this – Ann Z

I just spent $1115.00 on lenses and frames for three members of our family and expect to buy our three-year-old’s first pair next month. We are not new to choosing from the long list of options when customizing glasses, though we had our own trials with differentiating which features and add-ons were important, cosmetic or just plain unnecessary.

First, ask questions. Go ahead and say that you need help deciding which options are important, the reasons for each and any cost or benefit.  Most opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and even office staff want you to be genuinely happy with a very useful pair of glasses.  We often do this without our children present because it can take 30 minutes or so to make all your selections (even after deciding on frames) depending on how many pairs you’re buying.

Basics

We’ve learned poly-carbonate lenses are the way to go. These are also sometimes called Hi-index or safety glasses, and they are thinner than regular plastic. These are sometimes more expensive for adults, though usually no extra charge for people under 18 for the obvious safety reasons. They’re lighter weight, too, and they have built-in UV protection. Glass does resist scratching better, though. So, if you choose plastic, you’re gonna need coating.

Coatings

Scratch coating and anti-reflective/anti-glare are also worth it. Often, if you pay the charge for scratch-coating, your lenses can be replaced *for free* for up to one year. So, if you see even one scratch, take them in! Anti-glare is important for two reasons: 1) you seeing out and 2) others seeing in. First, anti-glare helps the glasses-wearer by reducing the ‘halo effect’ around lights. Second, with the coating, others see clearly through to your child’s (or your) beautiful eyes. This is especially nice in photos! Have you seen your reflection in someone else’s lenses? Anti-glare coating solves that, too.

Polarized and UV protection are most often associated with tinted glasses, aka sunglasses. We have chosen Transitions. (Photochromic is the generic term. There are many brands of this. Usually your office will offer just one. They all do the job!)  We love Transitions for several reasons. One is hyper-sensitive to light and these make a huge difference. It is also extremely difficult for a young child to be responsible for two pairs of glasses, and this eliminates the need. Their backup glasses are not Transitions, since they mostly sit in a drawer and are only to be used as a temporary replacement.

Extras

Some frames have wire arms or spring-hinges to build in some shock-absorbency. In my opinion, if you’re that active, get the sport glasses. We even have swim goggles that are prescription. (You gotta see the wall, right?) You can find these on-line at swim stores – as long as you know your prescription – and they are surprisingly inexpensive.

Service

Often, frames are under warranty for a year and almost every place will adjust and ‘tweak’ at no cost and as often as you need. Kids’ glasses can get bent just from running to you for a hug, so we are dropping by as often as once a week for adjustments.

Bottom Line

Our children are our top priority. Their vision and eye care top the list of health concerns. Few things are worn as often as glasses – think of the cost averaged over a year. Often, with all these options, my child’s glasses cost $300 or less. I have no stake in the eyewear industry, just in my kids.

Sources:

1. www.essilorjunior.com

2. The Seven Deadly Sins of Recommending Kids’ Lenses by Sharon Leonard, LDO, ABOC-AC, FCLSA

3. Victor Rosario, office manager
Coan Eye Care
Orlando, FL

For all you parents who lovingly patch your little ones.  Make these, give them away, but just don’t sell them!  These are inexpensive, light weight, covering, re-usable, and have a smooth texture.  They can be personalized to fit your child’s personality and the shape of their glasses. The idea came to me late one night from trying all the patches on the market and they have worked well for Elly and hopefully may work for you.  It was designed for those of you in Miraflex in mind – hopefully it will work!  It can and should be adapted to best fit your child’s needs and glasses.  I can make each patch in less than 3 minutes and could make at least 50 of them for less than $5.00.  If you can tie a knot and push a needle back and forth, you can make these!

Materials

craft foam, needle, thread, scissors, knife, tape, and the pattern

The following tutorial will demonstrate how to make a right left eye patch.

1. First cut out your foam pieces, add any extra fun pieces that you may want.  Remember, the more you add, the heavier your patch will be.  Linked here (Patch Pattern) is a pdf pattern of the main patch pieces.

2.  Assemble the pieces and hold them together with your fingers to make sure you are making your patch go the right way.  Sew your embellishments on to the rectangular section first.

3. Then, using a simple knot and a straight stitch, attach the rectangular piece to the main patch on the bottom.

4.  Fold the V in until the edges are touching and stitch through all 3 layers; top, front, and over the glasses pieces. (see, your stitches don’t have to be pretty!)

5.  Then place a square piece of tape on the triangular side.  This is to make the opening where the temples go through just a little sturdier.

6.  Using a knife or other sharp object, make a hole large enough for the temples to fit through.

And you are done =)    Well, with the patch part… here is how they go on the glasses.  I told Elliana that it was my job to put them on and off for the safety of the glasses.  These patches will fit snugly and I put them on slowly.  I made 2 patches and they each lasted me over a month when put on by a parent.

First slide the temples in between the main patch and the rectangular piece.  If you have cables, making sure the ends get in the smaller hole is a little tricky.  Those with Miraflex, I think you can take the band off.  If not, e-mail me and I will think of something.

Then pull through until the patch sits comfortably on the glasses.  I trimmed with my scissors around the nose piece so the patch sits inside of the plastic and a bit from the top so it rests comfortably on their forehead (thats why it is easier to make the pattern bigger and cut to fit).  If you have the regular nosepiece, then you could make a vertical slit for the nosepiece to fit into

.

Last and not least, have your child try their glasses with the patch on.  Make sure it is not rubbing or irritating, trim with a scizzors to make it a perfect patch for your child.

Almost forgot… we learned the hard way… DON”T use red or dark pink like my pictures.  When they sweat the color comes off and turns the skin pink.  I would use light pink, blue, white, yellow and other light colors.  If you do make a patch, please send me a picture to post.  I have a couple more that we have been using daily – pictures of them to come later!

Jennifer had a question in the comments that’s something I’ve been thinking about recently, too.  She wondered whether it was better, if your child already has 2 pair of glasses, to have one pair as the primary pair, and one set aside as a backup.  Or does it make more sense to have both pairs as primary pairs, and let your child choose each morning which pair to wear?

For the past 18 months, Zoe has had two pair of glasses, and we’ve let her choose which pair to wear.  It’s worked quite well, largely because she seems to like both pair equally, so they get pretty equal wear and tear.  The lenses are less scratched, and the frames less beat up, because they’re both essentially getting  worn half the time.

That all changed last week when we found out Zoe’s prescription had changed.  I had planned to get the lenses replaced in one pair, and then when that pair was back, get new lenses for the second pair.  The guy at the optical shop, though, told me that she was likely to outgrow her red glasses in around 6 months, and he didn’t think it would make sense to replace her lenses now, only to need to replace the frames and lenses again in a few months.  So once her blue glasses come back with the updated prescription, we’ll have those as her primary glasses, with the red ones as back-up — the prescription change is small enough that the old prescription could be worn as a back up if need be.

I’d love to pick out a second pair of glasses for Zoe so that we can stay with the two pairs for her to choose from, since it’s worked so well.  But ordering new lenses for one pair, and then a second whole new pair of glasses just isn’t in the cards for us right now.  I guess I hadn’t really thought through the logistics of what happens with two pair when the prescription changes, but the frames don’t need to.

I’d love to hear thoughts on what you all are doing.  Do you have a back up pair, or two pair that your child chooses from?  Is it working well?  What would you do if the money for additional pairs were not an issue (hey, I can dream, right?)

“Remember, Princess Peepers wants to let you know that you’ll always be a royal princess inside and out, no matter what! Just be true to yourself! “

It is this kind of message that Pam Calvert, author of Princess Peepers write on her website that makes my heart all warm and tingly.

The book Princess Peepers is a great addition to your home library if your pre-schooler or kindergarten girl is feeling a little bummed about wearing glasses, or needing a pick me up on the importance of wearing glasses.  In this whimsical little modern fairy tale, the princess has chosen to remove her glasses which leads to a few vision blunders.  She finds herself in all the wrong places, but doesn’t realize it because her glasses are not on.  Instead of headed towards the ball, she finds herself headed for the tower.  In the end, she ends up falling onto a horse, I mean prince.  They both put their glasses on and in fairytale fashion, live happily ever after.

Elliana really gets a kick out of this book and has made me read it every day for the last 5 days. I had to explain some of the vocabulary and we talked about the book as we read it.  She LOVES princesses and really got the humor in the book.  It is a lot of fun to hear her laugh when I read the funny parts!

After reading the book, Pam Calvert’s website http://www.pamcalvert.com encourages princesses (and princes) to send in their pictures for her to post.  She also has different activities to make and do; glasses cupcakes and decorate cardstock eyewear.  She does visit schools for author talks and lessons – which has me super inspired.  I would love to have her present in our city and am going to contact our public library to see if and how I can make it happen.

After my last post about our latest trip to the glasses shop to get all of  Zoe’s glasses adjusted, Darlene left a comment asking for more information about my comment that Zoe’s blue glasses were leaving red marks on her nose.  She wondered if red marks were always an indication of a bad fit, and whether the marks were gone now that those frames have been adjusted.  I figured I’d write a new post, since knowing when to take Zoe’s glasses in to get them adjusted is something I still struggle with.

To answer Darlene’s questions, I turned to Danielle Cruss (who goes by Miss Danielle on her website).  She is a Master-Certified Optician, who specializes in fitting and dispensing glasses for children.  She has a website that’s chock full of great information on children’s glasses, A Child’s Eyes.  Her website is listed on my page of resources for parents, but it’s such a good website, I didn’t think it would hurt to bring it up again.

One of the pages on A Child’s Eyes focuses specifically on the importance of getting glasses to fit correctly for a child.  The last three paragraphs talk about signs that you should bring your child’s glasses in for adjustments.  Specifically, marks on the side of their faces, and marks on the backs of their ears.  Marks on the side of their faces need quick attention (adjustments or new frames) as they can indicate that the frames are interfering with your child’s normal head growth.

I also interviewed Miss Danielle a year ago, and asked her for more information about signs that you child’s glasses aren’t fitting correctly, and here’s what she said:

If you notice any of the following you should stop by and have your child’s glasses adjusted:

• glasses that slip down,
• marks on the nose that are uneven or not symmetrical on either side of the nose,
• marks on the nose that don’t go away after about 5 minutes,
• glasses that are crooked on their face,
• any marks behind the ears.
• For the younger ones, if you notice any behavior changes, i.e.: doesn’t want to wear them, picking at their ears or rubbing their eyes, and watery eyes. [I can absolutely validate this one!  A while back, I noticed Zoe all of a sudden stopped wearing her glasses.  Turns out they were really crooked, and really messing up her vision - Ann Z]

The full interview is here, and is also worth a read if you missed it the first time around.  Miss Danielle really shared a ton of fantastic information.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’d forgotten that I’d asked her about this in the interview until I went back to re-read it tonight.

I can answer Darlene’s last question all by myself – this evening I checked Zoe’s nose after she’d worn her blue glasses all day.  There were slight indentations on her nose, but no more red marks.   Hooray!

Shortly after Amomofelly posted about self-portraits of kids in glasses, long-time reader/commenter Annie’s daughter Aubrie (4) came home with a picture she drew at school of herself, wearing glasses.  Annie wrote that it was the first time she’d ever included glasses on a picture of herself.

Aubrie's self-portrait, complete with glasses.

Heidi also posted a link to her son Bennett’s first self-portrait with glasses, drawn just as he turned 4.  You can see his drawing here.

Any others?  I’m happy to post them here, or even start another gallery if we get enough.

It can be hard to find optical shops that have a good selection of frames for kids, and that are reasonable, and nearby.  So what type of shop did you go buy your child’s glasses from?

Don’t forget our page of recommendations if you want to recommend your place to others.

Glasses – Check

Occlusion – Check

Surgery – Check

Prism Adaptation – Check

Hmmm… is there something related to little ones in glasses that we haven’t tried yet????   Not that I know of!  We went to the ophthalmologist on Friday due to Elliana’s eyes becoming more over corrected. (major bummer) It appears that she is reacting atypically.  As time progresses her eyes are turning in more rather than becoming straighter as traditionally happens.  She now has a Fresnel prism placed on her glasses.  My first question was, “What is that?”  I understand that it similar to the prisms used in the exams.  I asked how it is different than a lens.  It does not affect the distance at which the light focuses on the back of the eye, rather bounces light in a different way (sorry, still not sure on this.)  Googling Fresnel Prisms on glasses has me just  about as confused.  The article Management of Strabismus and Amblyopia: a Practical Guide byBy John A. Pratt-Johnson, Geraldine Tillson says that “Occasionally, a patient with an acquired esotropia and the full optical correction in place may have a much larger angle esotropia on the prism cover test than appears to be present at a casual glance…the prism estimated as needed to neutralize the deviation is inadequate and more and more prism is required.”  It sounds like this treatment is rare.  We pretty much put a stick on prism over her strong eye because it may act as an occluder.  We go back on Friday for more tests and the article says something about testing for fusion with a synoptophore or the Whorth four-dot test. None of which I know anything about.  Unfortunately, we also have to put atropine drops in both of her eyes for the next 3 days in order to get a good read on her vision this Friday.  Since she is older and more verbal about her eyes – she is NOT a happy camper and has expressed her distaste for the eye drops and has screamed all morning.  2 more mornings of drops.  Wish me luck and let me know if you know anything else about the prisms!