Children's medical glasses

Glasses for a child with visual impairments are not only a correction of visual acuity, but also an important factor determining further personal development.

The ophthalmologist prescribes glasses if the child has high myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia, astigmatism, strabismus, amblyopia.

Wearing glasses in such cases should be constant. Firstly, they help the child to see better, and secondly, they have a certain therapeutic effect.

What should be the first consideration when choosing medical glasses? What problems can a child face in the process of getting used to constantly wearing them, and how can these difficulties be avoided? Let's figure it out in order.

Features:

When the diagnosis has already been made and the doctor has written a prescription for glasses for the child, parents should take them seriously and follow all the recommendations of a specialist. After all, it depends on their attentiveness and patience: whether the disease will progress or will remain just a brief mention in the children's outpatient card.

There are a number of aspects that significantly differentiate children's medical glasses from adults. First of all, they have different purposes. The child constantly wears them, so that over time, his vision was brought to 100% or to the maximum possible indicator for his diagnosis.

The earlier the pathology is detected, the more likely it is that the treatment will be relatively short-lived and more effective. Glasses can be prescribed by an ophthalmologist for a child of any age.

Adequate vision is important especially for young preschool children, as it is not only one of the types of perception of the surrounding reality, but also an important factor affecting the rate of development of mental abilities. A child whose parents condone his unwillingness to wear glasses may lag behind in development from their peers, and in the future, he may have difficulties associated with social adaptation. Therefore, timely treatment and strict implementation of all the doctor's recommendations are able to provide the baby with full development and a positive perception of the world full of bright colors.

The decisive role in whether the child will willingly put on glasses without being reminded or whether wearing this accessory will turn into real torture for him depends entirely on the attitude of the parents to this problem. If mom and dad are positive, support the child and do not resort to rough violent methods, accustoming their naughty child to glasses, then during the treatment period the child will feel comfortable, which will have a positive effect on the results of therapy.

If you have any difficulties in the process of selecting medical glasses or teaching a child to wear them all the time, you should seek additional advice from an ophthalmologist and child psychologist.

A doctor can recommend an optician and eyeglass model that best suits your child, and a therapist can help overcome the problems caused by the need to constantly wear glasses.

Tips for choosing

One of the most important criteria for choosing medical glasses for children is safety. Purchase a product that is as durable as possible, as children, especially small children, can be hyperactive and if the lenses or frames are not strong enough, there is an increased risk that the child will be seriously injured if they fall accidentally. So, when choosing, you must be guided by the following points:

Material plays an important role. The most durable models are considered to be made of titanium and kevlar. Glasses equipped with flex hinges are also durable, the presence of which indicates the high quality of the product. When buying children's medical glasses, you should find out if the material from which they were made can cause an allergic reaction in the child.
One of the latest developments in the field of optics - polyolefin children's medical glasses. This material has unique plasticity. Glasses made of this polymer are monolithic and do not have metal parts in the fastening sections of the structure. Therefore, such products carry the lowest risk of traumatizing a child, especially when it comes to children of the very young age (up to 1 year).

Another important quality that good children's glasses should have is ease. When they are too bulky, the child feels uncomfortable. He will constantly try to remove them and all the persuasions of the parents in this case will be meaningless. The frame should fit, not squeeze the temples or the bridge of the nose. It is also necessary that the glasses hold well and do not fall even with sudden head movements. Of course, you need to take into account the child's personal feelings - he should be as comfortable as possible. Perfectly matched glasses are those that the child does not feel at all.
If the child was prescribed glasses with a large number of diopters, then the frame should not be massive - this will help to avoid distortion of the lens at the periphery. During the purchase process, you can take the advice of a sales assistant and choose a frame that visually makes the thickness of the lenses less.
Also, great attention should be paid to choice of cover or case. School-age children usually carry them in backpacks or with a bag along with textbooks and other school supplies. Therefore, the case must be strong enough to protect the product from accidental damage and close tightly.

Over time, the child's face changes quite a lot. In order for the glasses to fit correctly and not cause any discomfort while wearing, they must replace annually (after a routine examination of the child by an ophthalmologist).
Sure, the frame is always selected individually. When the child measures the models he likes, you should pay attention to how the crossbar sits on the bridge of the nose. If there is a visible free space between it and the nose, then the ready-made glasses will slide down from the bridge of the nose under the influence of the weight of the lenses and the child will be forced to correct them all the time.
An important role in the choice of high-quality children's glasses is played by view of temples... They can be standard and elastic. Experts recommend to active children of different ages and very crumbs to select models with as long as possible elastic temples, which will ensure reliable fixation of the structure even during outdoor games. If you prefer to purchase glasses with temples made of metal, then you need to select special tips for them that will protect the area of children's delicate skin behind the ears from constant traumatic friction.
During the purchase, it should be borne in mind that in correctly selected children's medical glasses the center-to-center distance should match the distance between the child's pupils. This will further affect the quality of the therapeutic effect and the feeling when wearing them.

One of the important criteria in choosing children's glasses is the strength of the lenses, so you should pay attention to the fact that what materials are they made of:

Optical lenses are made of high strength and shockproof polycarbonate and trivex. Polycarbonate lenses are lightweight and have a high level of impact protection. The material is insensitive to almost all types of mechanical damage, therefore, scratches rarely appear on such lenses. In addition, polycarbonate lenses have a protective layer that protects the child's eyes from an extra portion of ultraviolet rays.

Optical lenses, made of trivex, are not inferior in strength to polycarbonate analogs. They also have a high level of UV protection. These lenses are great not only for simple, but also for sports models. Children who play sports or who love outdoor games have a higher risk of injury. Therefore, for such children, it is necessary to choose optical lenses with a large vertical, since upon impact, the pressure will be distributed over the entire surface of the lenses, and not concentrated at one point, which will reduce the risk of injury to the child's eye.

Now let's talk about the subjective qualities of glasses, which are no less important when choosing the right model. At the time of purchase, the opinion of the child cannot be neglected. The older he is, the more painful he can feel about the need to constantly wear glasses. This is especially true for girls in transition. If your son or daughter will perceive them not as a stylish accessory, but as something that negatively distorts their appearance.

This can cause the appearance of many additional complexes and, as a consequence, a deterioration in the situation in the social environment, be it a school or a kindergarten.

Popular models

Now there are a huge variety of branded models of children's eyeglasses. They are made taking into account all the basic requirements of safety and comfort, and also comply with the latest trends in children's fashion.

The most popular brands in the optics market are Fisher Price and Silicone baby... These renowned companies make glasses for children of all ages. The materials from which the glasses are made are safe even for the smallest children, are quite plastic and do not cause allergic reactions.

Silicone-based frames for one-year-olds are in great demand. This is due to the fact that such products are durable and comfortable to wear.

Girls, especially in their teens, are more scrupulous in their choice of glasses. More often when choosing frames, they are guided rather by their aesthetic properties. The glasses should be fashionable, bright, and match their face type and style of clothing. For boys, brand products will be a quality purchase Nano NAO and New York. The design features and the material used in the manufacture of these products allow the child to be active and feel comfortable.

It should be emphasized that children with very low vision need to purchase a spare pair of glasses in case something happens to the first one and they become unusable. When buying children's glasses, the sales consultant must give a number of recommendations for the use and care of the product.

If the child does not want to wear glasses

Many parents are faced with the problem of stubborn reluctance of the child to wear glasses. This can be due to various reasons. Most often this is due to a banal fear of something to stand out in a peer group. Girls, especially entering puberty, may perceive the need to constantly wear glasses as a personal tragedy, believing that their appearance is thus significantly distorted.

In this case, it is important for parents to persist and patiently carry out psychological workaimed at adapting to the current situation. In no case should you be rude to a child, trying to force him to wear hated glasses.

With such behavior, you risk inflicting psychological trauma on the child, ruining relations with him, and also turning him away from wearing glasses for life, which will have an extremely negative effect on his health.

First, calmly try to explain to him that the quality of his life will change for the better: he will feel more comfortable at school, he will no longer have to squint, and headaches will go away. In general, the world will sparkle with new colors. If your child is afraid that because of the glasses he can somehow stand out in the team, then it would be better to give positive examples from life. Surely you will find a few acquaintances who wear glasses, who at the same time did not become a target for the ridicule of others. Tell your child that many famous people from the world of cinema and show business are forced to wear glasses, but at the same time they look attractive and are for many, including for your child's peers, an example to follow.

Try to captivate the child with the choice of frame design. Give him the freedom to choose. Let him enjoy the fashionable glasses as a nice new thing.

If your child forgets to wear glasses regularly or is lazy to do so, then you should gently remind him of this. Do not fall for whims and persuasions. Be gentle, but firm in your intention to teach your child to use glasses. You can order a pair of contact lenses in addition to glasses. Many children prefer them as an alternative to constantly wearing glasses.

If it seems to you that the situation is approaching a critical level, and your child is extremely adamant about wearing glasses, then contact a child psychologist. He will be able to correct your behavior and set the child to a positive attitude towards glasses.

How to teach a one-year-old child to use an accessory?

If a one-year-old child was diagnosed by an ophthalmologist and prescribed glasses, then the parents of the baby need to be patient and prepare for the fact that the process of teaching him to constantly wear them will be laborious. At first, naturally, the child will try at all costs to pull off an object unfamiliar to him from his head. The main thing for parents is not to lose their composure and not to cry.

There are a number of simple techniques that will help the child painlessly and in a shorter time to accustom him to wearing glasses:

Put the glasses on the child and bring him to the mirror. Let him be interested in his reflection. At the same time, praise him with the most affectionate intonation.
Getting used to an unusual accessory shouldn't be harsh. There is no need to force the child to wear them all day without taking off immediately after purchase.
Children love to repeat everything after adults. Put on your glasses for a while.
When you put glasses on your baby, try to immediately distract him with something interesting. Let him forget about them and, thus, stop feeling discomfort.

Thus, patience and genuine attention from parents are crucial in the process of teaching a young child to constantly wear glasses. Remember that your efforts will pay off - your baby's good eyesight will be the reward for your work.