Glasses

How can I tell if my child needs glasses?

Your child may not communicate in words that they need glasses, but there are usually clear signs. It’s important to know what to look for, especially because school vision tests can miss vision problems. Schedule an eye exam for your child at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists if your child:

• Squints at things that are nearby or far away
• Tilts their head to see
• Complains of headaches when they have to use their eyes
• Sits too close to the TV and holds books and handheld devices close to their eyes

Children who need glasses often struggle in school. If your child has difficulty reading or concentrating in school, the cause may be a vision problem, not a learning disorder, especially if they didn’t have difficulty before. If your child has both a learning disorder and vision problems, glasses can improve their performance in school.

How do I get my child to wear glasses?

Some parents face challenges getting their children, especially younger children, to wear glasses. Not to fear — many children are thrilled to be able to see clearly, and there are ways to get a resistant child to warm up to glasses.

The staff at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists is very experienced in working with children. If you’d like, you can have your child’s doctor “break the news” that they need glasses and explain the benefits.

Letting your child pick out their own frames can make wearing glasses fun and feel more like their choice. ABC Children’s Eye Specialists has an on-site optician with a wide selection of frames. The staff optician makes sure your child’s glasses fit comfortably, so they’ll be more likely to want to wear them.

How often should my child get new glasses?

The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams at 6-12 months, 3-5 years, and then once a year from first grade onward. Your child may need new glasses after their eye exam every year, although their prescription may not change. Often, your child may just need updated frames after a year of daily wear.

Some children are born with astigmatism, which causes blurry vision. However, some vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, may develop later in childhood. And vision changes may happen during a growth spurt, so be sure to pay attention to any signs that your child has a vision problem, no matter their age.

The on-site optician at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists has a wide selection of frames, including specialty frames designed for sports and play. It’s important to the team that your child can experience clear, corrected vision without having to limit the activities they enjoy (or stop being a kid).

Schedule an eye exam for your child at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists online or over the phone.