Eyeglasses For Infants & Children

A successful visit to the eye doctor is only half the battle of improving your child's sight. You may also have to convince your child to wear his or her prescription glasses. Here are some suggestions for helping your child with this adjustment.

• Make sure your child's eyeglass frames fit. Your child's frames should fit properly, without pinching the ears or nose. Checkpoints of contact periodically to make sure that there is no skin irritation. Some of the more comfortable eyeglasses for infants and very young children are made of rubber-like materials and have bands that wrap around the head, preventing the glasses from falling and making them difficult to remove.
• Make sure the prescription is correct. If your child is looking over the glasses or complains that he or she cannot see with them, the prescription may be incorrect. An optician or eye doctor will be able to determine the optical accuracy of the prescription.
• Start gradually. Start your child wearing glasses for short periods of time an hour or two per day, gradually increasing to wearing them full-time.
• Make them routine. Putting glasses on and taking them off should be part of your child's daily routine. Encourage him or her to put the glasses on in the morning when dressing and take them off at night before going to bed.
• Offer positive reinforcement. Be sure to use positive reinforcement when the child does wear the glasses. At first give praise, and maybe a present, and later praise only.

What should I do if my child refuses to wear glasses?

If your child refuses to wear his or her glasses, make sure the prescription is correct. If the prescription is correct, try using positive reinforcement and explain why it is important to wear glasses.

What should I do when my child is playing sports?

Thousands of injuries happen to children's eyes each year while they are playing sports. Most injuries can be prevented if protective eye gear is worn. Protective eye gear or sports goggles may or may not have prescription lenses. Children should wear sports goggles if they participate in sports that include:

• Baseball/ softball
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Hockey
• Tennis
• Karate
• Racquetball

Your child may not want to wear sports goggles at first, especially if his or her teammates are not wearing any. Some ways to persuade your child to wear them include: allowing him or her to choose the eyewear style; wearing protective eye gear yourself when playing sports; and explaining why it is important to wear protective eye gear.