6 Ways to Make Your Child Wear Their First Pair of Glasses

Say goodbye to the struggle of making your kids wear their eyeglasses. It’s time for a fun and positive conversation with them about the proper ways to wear and care for their glasses. All it takes are encouraging words and proactive ways to turn their eyeglass-wearing experience into a kid-friendly one.

Buying eyeglasses for your kids is one thing, but convincing them to wear one is another. There are a couple of things to consider when creating a positive and stress-free atmosphere around your kids as they put on their first pair of eyewear, minus the tug-of-war or the magic tricks. Prevent Blindness, a US-based organization advocating for healthy vision in patients, provides realistic advice for parents on the proper ways of supervising their children and monitoring their vision health. In observance of Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, the organization has published some handy tips for parents to help their kids find comfort in wearing their specs.

Take the word of eye experts

It would take nothing away from you and your kids if they wear their glasses as prescribed by the eye doctor. It is important to ensure that the glasses are worn as instructed. Make sure that any kind of discomfort your child goes through is discussed and consulted with your eye doctor immediately. Prevent Blindness recommends children who experience or show symptoms of a vision problem to avail of continuous vision screening and comprehensive eye examinations by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

Avoid the (eye) wear-and-tear

There may be times when your child would remove and place their pair of glasses in areas that would most likely damage it. It is important to regularly inspect your kid’s glasses as even minor distortion could affect their glass-wearing experience. These damages could be anything from a loose tiny screw on the frames to a heavy smudge on the lenses. Regularly inspect their specs to ensure that they fit well and always equip your bubs with an eyeglass cloth to wipe away any dirt on the lenses or frames. Most importantly, remind your little ones to always tell mom and dad or any adult family member if they are feeling any discomfort.

It takes a village with a vision

As the African proverb puts it, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Your kid’s environment could have a multitude of impact on their habits and behavior. This fact holds true in all aspects of your child’s life, and wherever they may go, it is important to their welfare to build a support system around them. Remind your child’s teachers that they need to wear their glasses at all times in order to see well. At the same time, inform other adult guardians at home or at school that your child should wear their spectacles inside their classrooms, during hiking, at the park, or anywhere outdoors.

Keep an eye on their feelings

Parents might encounter challenges during the first few days or weeks that their child starts wearing eyeglasses as children don’t often mention or are not aware when they have vision problems. But there are benefits in letting your kid confide in you any signs of discomfort. Ask your little one to report to you any problems that may occur, whether the frames are too tight or too loose. Try to talk them into confiding if they can see clearly with the glasses or if they are experiencing headaches or eye strain while wearing them. Call your eye health provider as soon as you get all the information from your kid.

Pick an eye role model

It is no secret that children tend to emulate adults’ behavior. This is the right time to educate them about how other people have no issues wearing eyeglasses. Show your child how other kids and adults are wearing glasses to help them see. Point out people in your family, your child’s classmate, or characters in books and movies who wear glasses. Create a positive outlook on the practice with your kid. It could go a mile doing so.