Wow, thank you so much for your eye-care stories and advice. Charlotte
had an appointment with an ophthalmologist this last week and he’s
thinking glasses might just solve the issue without any patching
whatsoever. You should have heard how thrilled he was that we brought
her in so early. I guess there are issues that if left unresolved can
cause long-term problems and possible loss of sight – ay, ay, ay. The
doctor said that Charlotte’s a tad far-sighted in one eye and trouble
focusing that eye is what’s causing it to turn in a little at times.
We’re not too worried. He really did think the glasses would likely do
the trick. We’ll watch for progress over the next month or so, then
see what else is needed, if anything, at our next appointment.
Boy, did we feel clueless picking out glasses. Neither Isaac nor I
have ever needed glasses, though I’ve always secretly wanted some. We
ended up with flexy, bendy purple ones with shatter-proof lenses and an
elegant frame. They should be ready early this week. Now I need
advice on how to help Charlotte keep track of them!
Ophthalmology. O-P-H-T-H-A-L-M-O-L-O-G-Y. Ophthalmology. Two
crazy, extra letters in there. ‘Ophthalmology’ would have sunk me in a
Spelling Bee.
I’m 23, have worn glasses as long as I can remember and still have trouble remembering where I put them. Since I have to wear them all of the time (my vision is super bad) I only take them off at night. I have bars as my headboard on my bed, so i hang them off of the bar. When I was younger my mom took me to Target and had me pick out a special box that I kept next to my bed specially to put my glasses in.
I am glad to hear that they are confident glasses will resolve any issues!
So glad for your daughter that you went on time to the ophthalmologist. Hope the glasses will do its work. Good luck (O:
I’m glad that Charlotte was seen in time by the eye doctor. Sorry that I don’t have many ideas about how to help her keep track of her new glasses. Really the only thing I can think of is soem type of necklace that she could hook them into or a little aroiunf her neck pouch. I’m sure you could design and make something fabulous.
This was our problem too. Farsighted leading to a weak eye… My daughter was legally blind in her weak eye and now (with glasses) her eyes are almost equally strong. Blessings.
as a mom of two young children with glasses who doesn’t wear glasses herself nor does teir dad a few things I would’ve wanted to know:
It takes a while before childrens eyes get used to glasses. Children can adapt a lot better then adults so they can see sharp even if their eyses are not right. This takes effort therefor their eyes cross. When they get glasses their eyuse keep correcting for a while so they actually see worse.Set a timer for the first time so she keeps her glasses up until they work..
Clean them very often. It is miraculous what a kid will accept before he or she decides to clean glasses. (I am talking frosted glass here).
Be prepared to be back in the glasses store for repairs a lot… and save for a second pair. Children and glasses don’t go together that well..
Gabe got his glasses in First grade and we had him wear the little strap that attaches to them and sinches onto his head. Those are really ugly, but his hair was longer and I cut it so it was really short, making it less noticeable. You could probably whip up some
really cute ones for her with your fabrics.
We also made him take his eye glass case everywhere with him just incase he wanted to take them off.
Chelsea
Hey, mijk. I’m a teacher of the visually impaired and I could not have said that better myself!: )
Heather-
I would add that is can be a little easier with girls than boys. Especially if you take the “what a cool additional(and helpful!) piece of jewelry!” approach to the glasses. You may find that an elastic holding band(found at sports stores in fun colors) can help them stay on her face. And please, have her wear them in all the circumstances that the Dr. directs. Many of my students have been injured because their parents say “don’t break your glasses at recess” so the kids can’t see the ball coming straight at them.
I had amblyopia(lazy eye) when I was a child and it was resolved via glasses and later contact lenses instead of patching.
Finally- there are some terrific craft opportunities for you and your daughter- glasses cases, pretty cleaning cloths, etc. here. And that patch is totally inspired and I am going to make one for one of my young students to help her attitude this week!
As always, thank you for your never ending cheery attitude and resourcefulness!
My kids are super rough on their glasses.
Keep an eyeglass repair kit in-house. Also have some super fine crafts wire on hand for a quick temporary repair when the screw comes out and the eyeglass case screws are too large to fit a child’s size pair of glasses and you don’t find that out until after running around after ten pm on a Sunday night looking for a 24-hour drug store that may carry a repair kit.
Consider prescription sports goggles for outdoor activities. They come in all styles and fun colors for kids.
You may also want to just buy a second pair of glasses. At some point, you will need them.
Sorry, no advice here on helping a child keep up with glasses. But I could use some tips on that one myself.
We’ve had great success with our son and his glasses – he was 2 when he got them. I totally agree with the cleaning, though They’ll let them get filthy before they realize there’s a problem.
I think that he has been so good with them because they have improved his life so much. Glasses haven’t ever been lost, but they have been bent by other kids during play times, so keeping a spare pair around in case of damage is a great idea.
I bet you are so relieved! If you make her a beautiful case for them she might be more inclined to keep track.
I started wearing glasses when I was 8. I’d encourage her to wear them all the time. I think the concept “wear them only when you need them” leads to glasses being misplaced all the time. As soon as she is responsible enough transition her to contacts. It will make the teen years a bit easier.
that is good about charlotte’s eye, i can imagine how relieved you must be.
i wanted to tell you how excited i was the other day to find in our local scrapbook store a table at the front of the store devoted to you!! all the way down here in little old new zealand!! it was good to actually see it for real – gorgeous! guess what prairie’s stocking will be full of!!
Hi Heather,
Great news that the glasses may be the fix! I just wanted to second what Rachel said. I started with glasses at 12, while my sisters were much younger than me when they started.
My advice would be to hook her up with a fabulous new case for her specs, and when they are not on her face they go straight in there, and the case lives on the nightstand in her bedroom. One spot. This will eliminate (well, nearly) the whole ~omigosh where are my glasses~ problem. Have a woman to “woman” talk about them being a tool not a toy … tools can come in glamorous shades of purple — responsibility doesn’t always have to be a bummer! 😉
Good luck!
Stormy
I’ve only started wearing glasses as an adult and I haven’t yet figured out how to keep track of them. When you figure it out, be sure to let me know. You’ll have to post picts of the cutie with the new glasses.
Glasses sound promising! I wore glasses first through six grade and was always misplacing them. I think it is just one of those things that you have to go through, figure out what works for you, and then go with it! Just don’t stuff them in the back pocket of your jeans, forget they are there, sit on them, and then break the frame! (‘course with flexible frames this probably isn’t an issue huh! 😉
My daughter got glasses in first grade and although she did not need to wear her glasses all the time, I made her because I had heard horror stories of them getting thrown away or lost, etc.
One of my special nieces (you know, the kid of a dear friend, not your brother or sister) has the same problem as Charlotte. She has gentics to thank. I wanted to say that she’s been wearing glasses since she was a toddler and they really help. With her glasses on her eye is great. You only notice it when she is tired and her glasses are off. And at her youg age she has developed quite the collection of funky frames. A great display of personality.
PS I always look for a fun pair of glasses when Hubby shops, but we’ve concluded that I better hope I never need them…
I love reading about your Charlotte because I have a Charlotte too. Glad everything is basically ok. Happy Sunday!
I bet she’s going to look simply adorable with those new glasses!. glad all is well….Thanks for the correct spelling for “eye DR” who knew .Take care 😉
I was wondering where I look to buy your fabric wholesale? I am a crafter and am looking to cut my cost by getting my fabric wholesale. I have a tax id and everything already. Please contact me.
You have received some excellent advice from the other posters here! My twins needed glasses at a young age – not as young as they should have received them because we were all clueless until they went to school. I am thankful for well child visits and eye exams at school! I felt like I had been such a neglectful mother!
One of the things which helped them to wear their glasses often was that we made a big deal about picking out the glasses they liked best, and praised them for their choices. (Even when one of them chose a hot pink frame! I would have never chosen those for her, but they fit her well and actually looked very cute.)
The girls are now 11 and one is still very responsible with her glasses while the other still can’t remember where she took them off (too much like her mother). One wants her glasses cleaned all the time and the other waits until there is a thick layer of goop (and I do try to keep track of her so it doesn’t get that bad.)
Encourage your daughter in loving how she looks in her glasses, and help her come up with things to say if people make rude comments. Be prepared to return to the eye glass place if she complains about them being uncomfortable. Better to have the eye glass people look at you funny and then make an adjustment than to have your daughter hating her glasses because they are rubbing somewhere. Sometimes just a very small adjustment makes a HUGE difference. And finally if you see that your daughter is doing a good job of taking care of her glasses, don’t freak out when she comes home two weeks in a row with broken glasses because the tether ball hit her in the face. ; ) Be glad she is active and let her know that that is what insurance is for! (Yeah, and the one who isn’t good at taking care of her glasses hasn’t broken them yet! Knock on wood)
Well, I’m so glad you got good news. Our mother’s hearts can sure tremble with dread, can’t they?
I have no ideas on helping her keep track of her new glasses. I didn’t get glasses until I was much older. Anything I can think of seems a little, well, dorky. I mean, I would do it, but I’m just a bit of a geek. *grin*
All I can think of is a nifty sort of strap, crocheted perhaps?…with a plethora of crochet flowers all along the length of it. That could be a fun project…
Anyhow, her new “eyes” sound super spiffy.
And, also, thanks for the spelling lesson. I would have lost the spelling bee on that word, for sure.:)
i think she needs some super hip glasses cases made by her mom!
Actually I keep track of my glasses the same way I keep track of my wedding ring. I always always keep them in the same place. If I’m going to take my glasses (or wedding ring) off no matter where I am in the house, I will get up and put them in their special spot. Thus I never loose them.
Maybe if Charlotte has a special spot with a special case, she’d be set!
I have wanted glasses since I was ten. The last few years I’ve used cheap drug store reading glasses. Someday I’ll need the real ones and I will be so happy!
My son got glasses before he was 2. He’s farsighted as well. We got him bendy frames that went around his ear-keeping them in place, and on his face at all times. He’s a 1st grader this year, and we just moved to the regular glasses (that don’t wrap around the ear). We have been very lucky as he has never broken his glasses, and he wears them all the time-they may be filthy, but they are always on his face.
my son has strambiasmus,and got glasses a few weeks before he turned 3. i was worried that it would be hard for him to get used to them, but we had NO problems at all; i guess when you can finally see properly, glasses are great! (i felt so rotten, once he got glasses, he stopped falling and tripping so much. i figured it was because he was a toddler and clumsy. nope, he just couldn’t see) anyway, we never had to do any patching, the glasses have done the trick (now they are bifocals). the doc did warn us that when he’s sick or tired, his eye still might cross and that’s normal. we’ve never had problems keeping track of them, because he doesn’t like not having them on (’cause then he can’t see).
we don’t like the super bendy glasses because they seem to need adjusting more often (i swear we go through phases where we are getting them adjusted once a week). he’s very good about taking care of his glasses, it’s his little brother that we need to watch. we bought sport glasses this year for his gymnastics, those are nice to have also.
good luck, i bet things will be just fine because she can see properly now. oh, teach her how to clean them too.
Sounds like your daughter picked out a pair of beautiful “eye bling.” I hope thru all the excitement there was a mention of “eyeglass insurance” (I’m just sayin’). My daughter’s most memorable tale of “The Traveling Glasses” was during a school trip from our hometown in PA to Baltimore Harbor, MD. We didn’t realize the glasses were lost until we were safely back at school. We re-traced our steps in her mind (it was all we could do other than driving back to MD.) She suddenly remembered that she took them off in the “Bookstore” (can you believe it – a bookstore of all places.) I immediately called the store and asked if they could conduct a massive search. This is the 21st century but I still find it amazing that our little pair of glasses were put in a box, placed on a truck, train or plane and hand-delivered the next day via Fedex. I’d like to give a big shout-out to Barnes & Noble for going above and beyond.
Oh, glasses will be great for her. There are so many cute styles nowadays. She can be so much cuter than when I was little with my ugly coke bottles!
My daughters both had to get glasses when they were quite young (5 and 7). We stressed right from the beginning that they had to take good care of them and keep track of them. We told them to remember it was “On your face or in your case” and that seemed to help.
Great blog i love the color you have it is wonderful!
I’m a primary teacher I’ve always taught the children in my class with glasses “On my face or in their case” plus on their desks I stick a little picture of a pair of glasses and this reminds them to put them on. In all my years, I’ve been lucky to have no broken or lost glasses – that has to be some kind of record. So don’t forget “On my face or in their case” Good luck
The Blue Sky Alpaca ad in Stitch quilting arts magazine is beautiful (page 4). You are listed as the place to get the fabric. Good luck with your website 🙂
EEK! ophthaLmology? I had no idea there was an “L” there! Thanks for the heads up!
I was six when I got my first pair of glasses and although I now wear contacts most of the time, glasses are still very comfortable and easy to wear. Make sure the fitting is 100% (no bruises on ears and nose) – a good frame can always be adjusted a bit here and there. Oh – and you might need to craft one of these;)…http://www.flickr.com/photos/7596218@N08/2865627064/
Good luck!
Hi, Lucky girl to pick her own specs! Better than the cat woman ones I had. I would have adored purple frames! Be sure to wear them all the time Charlotte. It’s so important. I’m sure your Mom or Grandma will make you a really lovely safe place for your glasses at night or when you don’t have to wear them. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 1-1/2 years old, so you know, I’ve worn a lot of them (I get the senior discount next year (only one place so far, so I’m the junior senior)). Enjoy seeing clearly now. Your patch is so much cuter than my old pirate patch. Take care.
My Granddad Charles (for whom my own little Charlotte is named!) Was an ophthalmologist and school teacher as a rural teenage-boy. He would have me spell words at dinner (I remember I miss-spelled “broccoli” one night, and sadly, I still struggle with spelling) If there is a great beyond, I’m sure he is smiling now that I know how to spell his profession; opHthaLmology. Two hidden letters, indeed!
I started wearing glasses in the third grade, never lost a pair but somehow broke a couple, we are not a sports minded family. The bendy ones are a little harder to self adjust, so do go back to the dr for adjustments. Cleaning them is important but with the finishes on lenses these days, even a nice cotton can scratch them. My doc said to run them under the water when washing dishes and use the towel to gently dry. Remembering where you left them, that’s a hard one, I would always leave them behind at slumber parties. And tell her that she’s pretty with them on.
I started wearing glasses when I was in Kindergarten, my son when he was 3.5yo. He wears them all the time and when he takes them off (bath or bedtime) they go in his case on his dresser. Consistency is the key – always in the case in the same place. When we travel, their location becomes my responsibility as he’s only 4.5 now.
He has an extra eyeglass case in his preschool backpack that the teacher knows about, so if they break at school, there is a place to put them.
We get his glasses adjusted at least once a quarter, and the week after he gets a new set of frames.
PSA: free infant eye exams through the infantsee program. http://www.infantsee.org/ Please, all new mothers, look to see if you can get your infant’s eyes examined for free. It can make such a difference in their life.
How wonderful that your daughter’s eye problems can be resolved with glasses. I know friends who have spent years and thousands of dollars in eye therapy. The good thing is now you are ready for the spelling bee:-)
Hey Heather, so happy you guys got to eye dr!! I wrote in your previous entry about our experience, wow, sounds like Charlotte is the exact same as my girls. I don’t think I wrote this, but they also say it is a genetic thing, but we still don’t know where our bouts of this came from. I would recommend also keeping some of the Cyclogyl (sorry if missp) drops onhand, as I have sometimes had to pull it out and threaten the girls if they didn’t use it. I have to take them back soon. Oh, I had to tell you I won an honorable mention for my smocking design at a design show I entered with your fabric as my inspiration. It’s over on Flickr. Thanks for being such a creative soul and inspiring us!! Have a wonderful holiday season! Someday I hope to meet you:)
Depending on how many hours a day she has to wear the glasses for, I too would highly suggest a second back up pair. Even if it’s not the most glamorous ones, its good to have an extra just in case.
I’ve worn glasses/contacts since I was around 10 and am almost blind without them, so it was crucial for my parents to have a second pair, and it came in handy plenty of times.
In regards to cleaning them, I don’t know what the Dr.’s office says these days, but I know that dish washing soap and warm (not hot) water works best because they clean the oils and dirt transferred from your face. Also, go to a camera store and get one of those special fiber cloths that they use on lenses – they’re really good, better than the ones the dr. gives.
I agree with the idea of making her a really Awesome case to put them in… that makes it special for her and more of a fun addition to take good care of, rather than a serious responsibility. Another idea is maybe having a loop on the case so that she can attach it to her book bag, or purse or something like that… that way it would have a designated place ‘most’ of the time, but removable to allow her to take with her wherever she goes. (make sure she would attach it to the TOP of her book bag rather than bottom so that it doesn’t get crushed – also, there are a number of great pretty hard cases available)
Maybe make two cases, one for by her bed, and one to take to school. When lost, these ‘designated’ spaces make a good place to search first. Also, in the event that the excitement of having that first case fades, make new ones that will keep her interest in taking care of them and using them. Good Luck, hopefully she’ll only need them for a short time. 🙂
Hi Heather!
I’ve stopped by occasionally for the past year to be inspired/intimidated and had to leave a comment here. My daughter started wearing glasses 9 months ago, a little before she was two, for the same problem. My husband and I have never worn glasses so I was kind of lost as to where to get glasses, what kind, etc. After a lackluster experience with chain places, we finally found a pediatric optical studio and it has made all the difference for us. They specialize in kids glasses so can fit them nicely so your kid keeps them on. Hope you find a good optical place too!
My daughter wears the cable temples, the ones that curve around the ear, and that keeps the glasses on well. When she takes them off at night, she puts them on her windowsill so she can put them on first thing in the morning.
I’m sure your little girl will find a routine that works well.
Best wishes!
PS- I had a teeny bit of a hard time at first with the glasses idea, but they have grown on me.
My advice about how to keep track of the glasses is to buy two pair. Seriously. Been there.
would you please consider making an eye patch pattern?? I’m so in love with the one you made your daughter and my sweet 3 year old is having to wear one and she would love one like that.
thanks
would you please consider making an eye patch pattern?? I’m so in love with the one you made your daughter and my sweet 3 year old is having to wear one and she would love one like that.
thanks
Hi Heather and Charlotte, I’ve worn glasses since I was five. I can’t see anything without them so I never lost mine. My children, however, are a different story! All three wear glasses and in the beginning, they had a lot of trouble keeping track of their glasses. I found that sports straps, the adjustable kind like you would wear for sailing or to keep your sunglasses on around water, not the tight elastic kind for playing sports, helped them keep track of their glasses. For one thing, if they took them off, there was a colorful string attached to the glasses to help locate them. Folded up, glasses are just about invisible – clear glass and a few thin pieces of wire. Look in a sporting goods store near the sunglasses to see an example. I’m sure you will come up with a cute solution that will make Charlotte happy too. Good luck and good vision!