About a quarter of kids between the ages of 2-17 years wear glasses or contact lenses to help them see better. Of course, those lenses only work when they’re made expressly for your child — and that includes both the prescription and the overall fit.
When it comes to eyeglasses, many parents mistakenly use a “one-size-fits-all” approach, opting for the convenience of ordering their child’s glasses from an online provider. But just like contacts, glasses work best when they’re custom-fitted to your child’s needs.
At ABC Children's Eye Specialists, our team uses precise measurements and expert fitting skills to ensure your child has the right eyeglasses for their unique needs. Here’s why custom eyeglass fitting is so important for your child’s vision and future.
The lenses in your child’s glasses need to be a certain distance from your child’s eyes to provide the clearest vision possible, and they need to “fit” your child’s face shape and eye distances, too.
Glasses from online dealers don’t take these individual factors into account, meaning your child may still have vision-related issues even after receiving their new glasses.
A poor fit can make some underlying issues worse, including increased eyestrain and related problems, like headaches, eye pain, or eye fatigue. Even poorly-sized lenses can cause problems, creating a narrower field of vision that makes it harder for your child to see clearly at all times and in all activities.
A custom fitting avoids these problems, so your child can see clearly and do their best at school, in sports, and while socializing with their friends.
Differences in the shape of children’s faces matter, too. Even subtle differences can affect the way their glasses fit, making them irritating or even painful to wear. As a result, your child may not wear their glasses the way they’re supposed to, leading to more vision-related issues.
Glasses that don’t fit properly are also more likely to fall off during sports and other recreational activities, leading to breakage or bent frames. A custom fit ensures glasses fit snugly without pinching, so they’re both comfortable and secure.
Glasses use two lenses, but that doesn’t mean those lenses are the same. Most people have differences in vision that are unique to each eye, which is why each lens often has a different prescription.
If the lenses aren’t properly fitted and “balanced,” your child can continue to have vision problems or related issues, like headache, neck strain, or facial pain.
During your child’s custom fitting in our office, our team ensures your child’s lenses correct vision independently while working together to create a comfortable, cohesive experience. As a result, your child’s custom fitting supports the clearest vision possible, for optimal performance at school and in other activities, too.
Childhood is a time of rapid growth and development, including your child’s eyes and vision skills. Even a subtle visual issue during childhood can wind up causing considerable problems later on if that issue isn’t properly addressed while your child is still developing.
Having a custom fitting for your child’s eyeglasses ensures those glasses are doing everything they’re supposed to do to improve your child’s vision now, while also helping prevent problems as they get older.
Regular eye exams keep your child’s prescription up-to-date for their needs while also enabling our team to spot problems as early as possible.
If your child wears glasses or if they have any type of vision-related issue, the new year is a perfect time to establish healthy eye habits that can last a lifetime. To schedule a visit for your child, call our offices to book an appointment with the team at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists in Phoenix, Avondale, and Mesa, Arizona, today.
