Discover everything to need to know when you realize that “my child needs glasses.”  From the emotional guilt to finding the right frames, this covers it all!  This post contains affiliate links

The optometrist looks in my 3 year old’s eyes, “Wow, I’m glad you brought him in.”

I stand there looking at my son…my little boy, thoughts swirling in my head.

What does that mean?  How bad is it? Can he really not see?

It didn’t take long before I saw just how bad it was.

 
She puts up a picture the size of the big E on adult eye charts and asks him to tell her what it is.  He leans forward, squints, and says “T?”
 
My heart sinks, I can feel the air escaping my lungs as I look up at the picture of a birthday cake.
 
Oh-my-gosh, he really can’t see.  My baby can’t see.

As the exam ends, the Optometrist looks at me and says.  “Your son will need to wear glasses full time.  Right now he can only see about 6 inches in front of his face, and even that isn’t very clear.  But the glasses will allow him to see birds, mountains, and leaves on trees, things he’s never seen before. His whole world is about to change!”

Tears prickled in my eyes, and a sudden surge of guilt hits me so hard I have to catch my breath. I push back my tears and thank her profusely.

How did I not know it was this bad?  I just got tired of telling him to sit back when we read books together, that’s the only hint I had that he might have vision problems.  How could I not know he couldn’t see?!

Stepping out of her office, I see the one corner of the room with the KIDS FRAMES sign and walked over.  There were so many to choose from, yet none of them seemed small enough for him.

I only started wearing glasses after my last pregnancy, I have no idea what to get a 3-year-old.

Through my shock, a nice lady helps us pick out frames, I paid then went to the car and tried to hold back my tears so he wouldn’t know.  How could I have not known?!

I went home and Googled everything I could find about kids and glasses.  There was so much information about choices in frames, how to measure to get the right fit, and what exactly his prescription meant.

I was surprised at how overwhelming it all felt.  It’s just glasses, millions of kids need them.  Why was this so hard?

Looking back, I wish I had a guide, someone to tell me how to navigate these waters and tell me that it was normal to feel sad and guilty.

It’s been a few years since that morning at the eye doctor and my guilt has subsided. I’m confident that he’s in frames that fit, and my son loves his magic glasses.

I’ve learned a lot along the way, but there are several things I wish I had known before I knew my child needed glasses.

Sizing and Frames

Finding the right size, brand, and type of frames for my son was a lot harder than I expected it to be.

The problem is that there’s just so much information and too many choices in frames.  I got overwhelmed trying to decide what was right for my son.

So here’s what I’ve learned…

Find Your Kid’s Size

That nice lady I mentioned above…she had no idea how to properly size and measure kids for glasses.

After talking with other parents, I’ve discovered that this is pretty common in your run of the mill frames shop.

Kids are always growing and you can’t just pick up any sized frames and go.  It’s important that the fit is right so they get the most out of their prescription.

Before you buy, look in your local community for an eyewear shop that has a large selection of kid’s frames and call to see if they’ll measure your child for a proper fit.

When it comes to fit, the most important thing is to check and make sure that the eyes are perfectly centered in the lens.  If you can get that right, then you’re ahead of the game.

 
The next thing to look for is the fit on the nose.  If any gaps exist between the bridge of the frame and the bridge of the nose, the weight of the lenses will cause the glasses to slide down.  So make sure it fits!