Our primary sense is our sight. If you're the parent of young children, helping to protect and strengthen this sense is an important responsibility. Your optometrist is an eye care specialist who has the tools to help your children see the world around them more clearly, particularly if your child needs prescription eyewear.
Here are some tips to help you choose the right prescription eyewear for your child.
Glasses or Contacts?
All prescription eyewear starts with this initial decision. The difference between these two choices is sizable and differs from child to child.
Contacts
The case for contacts is mostly about aesthetics and functionality. If your child is terrified by the thought of going to school with glasses, they can choose contacts to avoid any stigma they might associate with glasses. Contacts can also be more functional for your child's activities. If your child plays a sport, contacts allow them to compete without the fear of breaking or being encumbered by their glasses.
The case against contacts revolve around patience and responsibility. Learning how to put contacts into your eyes can be difficult and frustrating. If your child struggles with these sorts of tasks, you may want to hold off on contacts. They will also need to be responsible enough to take out their contacts every night, store them, and clean them. Although you can integrate this process into their nighttime routine, the initial few weeks can be tough.
Many optometrists discourage parents from opting for contacts for children under ten.
Glasses
The case for prescription eyeglasses is simple: they don't require a learning curve or carry any responsibility other than keeping tabs on them and properly cleaning them periodically.
The case against glasses is mainly about cost. Because your child's vision is likely to change (almost always degrade) well into their late twenties or early thirties, their prescription eye glasses will need to change as well. Although the lens can be swapped out of an existing pair of glasses, the primary cost of glasses comes from the lens and the prescription process.
Many optometrists recommend for parents to get a prescription for both glasses and contacts for their children when they reach the age of ten.
Lenses for Glasses
Once you settle on a pair of prescription eye glasses, you will have several additional options to choose from.
Transition Lens
Transition lens transform normal eyeglass lens into sunglass hybrids. A coating on the lens detects sunlight, transitioning the lens from clear to tinted. Aside from the extra cost associated with transition lens, the transition process takes some time, meaning that your child will spend some time looking like a rock star wearing sunglasses indoors.
Scratch Resistance
All prescription eyeglass manufacturers offer some sort of scratch resistant protective coating. This scratch resistance is a good idea if your child will be wearing their glasses the majority of their day. However, if they're only wearing the glasses for reading or watching movies, you can probably forgo the scratch resistance. You should also double-check any manufacture warranties that might come with the scratch resistances.
Lenses for Contacts
If you settle on a pair of contacts for you child, you will have several additional options to choose from. However, before you commit to a particular brand and style of contacts, you should request a trial pair of several options. Your child can try each style and brand before you settle on one.
Astigmatism
If your child has an astigmatism, you will need to pay a little extra money for contacts that combat the astigmatism.
Daily or monthly
Contact lens are typically designed for daily or monthly use. Daily or disposable lens are typically more expensive, but they're also easier for kids to manage.
Share4 June 2018
When it comes to parenting, taking care of your kids can feel like a daily guessing game. You might wonder why your child is acting so fussy, only to figure out a few days later that they are suffering from a cold. Unfortunately, the symptoms of poor vision can be even more difficult to notice, which is why taking your child to an optometrist is so crucial. This blog is all about noticing the signs of eye problems and taking your child to the eye doctor right away. By paying attention and being proactive about eye problems, you can keep your child healthy and happy.