- I knew my child needed glasses, and I thought it would be as easy as getting them for myself.
- I found limited resources for toddler glasses locally.
When my oldest daughter was nearly 3, we saw signs she needed to have an eye exam. My sister and I got glasses in elementary school so I wasn't surprised that my child would need glasses, but I was shocked at the lengths I had to take to get them for her.
As first-time parents, we didn't know an eye screening between 6 and 12 months was recommended by the American Optometric Association, so she hadn't had any vision exams. But our intuition was confirmed — at her first exam, the doctor handed us her prescription, told us to go pick out glasses, and that he'd see us at her next appointment. It sounded easy enough; I'd done that dozens of times for myself.
I couldn't find glasses for her
I checked our insurance and called around to optical shops across the city. Several told me they didn't carry glasses for a 3-year-old. Finally, I found a place that said they could help, and off we went.
If the requirements for toddler glasses were that they be bright colored and sport the logo of a popular TV show, these would have worked. But from my wearing glasses as a kid myself, I knew that the metal hinges and nose pads on these frames weren't going to stay in place for my rambunctious 3-year-old.
In spite of being assured by multiple opticians that these glasses fit, the materials alone gave me pause, and we ended our search until I did more research. My research taught me about pupillary distance, lens width, bridge width, and temple length, which are written on each frame.
A Facebook group helped me get the glasses
Enter Facebook. When I found "For Little Eyes — a group for parents of young kids in glasses," I felt like finally had a group of parents with experience to help me out. Plus, some of them were optometrists and opticians who knew exactly how to fit glasses on kids of all sizes. When I read accounts of other parents in the same boat, I realized it wasn't my city or my ignorance; this struggle to fit kids was common.
The group expanded my knowledge from what the numbers meant to how that applied to a child's face — they're not just little adults. I learned the very basics of what to look for when trying glasses on my own child.
I learned about brands like Dilli Dalli, Tomatoes, and Kids Bright Eyes. And most importantly, that poor fitting glasses can affect the benefit your child gets from glasses.
Three years in, I'm not perfect at fitting glasses, but from what I've learned in this group, I was able to get my youngest daughter glasses at age 2 with no stress. We'd caught her need for glasses during our annual visit to the optometrist with all three kids. I was even confident enough to order frames online to try from a brand not available locally, and they fit. We had lenses made locally to ensure the pupillary distance was measured just right for her first pair.
Medical diagnoses, even as simple as needing glasses, aren't a fun part of parenting, but with the help and support of the community I found on Facebook, my kids got the glasses that worked best for them, and I found peace knowing they're comfortable and seeing clearly.