20/40 vision in an almost 10 year old -UPDATE

[MareQ]

Is that bad? Medium? I know 20/20 is normal - but not sure what age we achieve the ability for 20/20 vision.

Would 20/40 in a 10 year old mean glasses?

DS #1 (10 in March) had a full eye exam last year and was deemed ok - but just got a note sent home from school that has Hyperopia checked off and 20/40, 20/40 on near vision test. I made a follow up appt with his eye Doctor for the 23rd - but wondering if this will possibly mean glasses for him if the school test is correct?

I really hope not obviously - he has so many other issues (Special needs) that I was hoping his vision would be ok. On top of that though - he has sensory issues - glasses will be a nightmare for him to get used to.

For my own sanity - this will be an issue if he does need them - if he doesn't like something he will hide it from me. Like his speech folder - which he hid last week and I found Friday behind the downstairs toilet... (I usually put his backpack on the top shelf of the closet but he beat me to it that day) Unless I get him day glow glasses with flashers on them - I would imagine they may be a bit harder for me to locate if he tries to hide them......

 

[mickeyboat]

I would think an eye doctor would want to correct 20/40 vision. But I would also not take the school's exam as gold. DD always passed her school exams, but when we took her to an eye doctor, it was clear she needed some correction.

Also, when kids get a little older, the text in their books is smaller, and eye problems become more pronounced. DDs are in 2nd grade and I can't begin to name all of their friends who got glasses this year.

DD(8) got her glasses when she was 6. I was pretty worried about her keeping them on and damaging them, but since she can see so much better with them on, she doesn't complain about them. We have had to buy one new pair of glasses in 2 years because they were broken, but we had them repaired and now use them as spares.

Look for an eyeglass place that has a good repair / replacement policy for kids' glasses. Good luck!

Denae

 

[MareQ]

Thanks - I am completely clueless when it comes to vision. We have a history of poor vision on both sides but I somehow seemed to have escaped that so far - so personally I have no clue what any of those numbers mean


It probably seems silly to worry about this now - but I am just dreading the possibility of adding something else to the long list of issues he already has. Not to mention the doom and gloom it will add to my life if he hates his glasses and hides them on me.

 

[mickeyboat]

Thanks - I am completely clueless when it comes to vision. We have a history of poor vision on both sides but I somehow seemed to have escaped that so far - so personally I have no clue what any of those numbers mean


It probably seems silly to worry about this now - but I am just dreading the possibility of adding something else to the long list of issues he already has. Not to mention the doom and gloom it will add to my life if he hates his glasses and hides them on me.

It's better than the headgear I had to wear in 7th grade. And my parents wondered why I had to have my braces on for so long.

Denae

 

[MareQ]

It's better than the headgear I had to wear in 7th grade. And my parents wondered why I had to have my braces on for so long.

Denae

Yup - braces for 3 years for me. SORRY but I was NOT going to wear that contraption to school.

Does this bring back nightmares??? Mine was the kind that went behind yoru neck. My friend had one where the back strap sat on her head like a cap

 

[NotUrsula]

Usually school tests are not very accurate, but the bad news is they they almost always err on the too-good side; his vision is probably worse than 20/40. Definitely get him checked by a good optometrist, then get his scrip filled at a place that will make two pairs, and buy insurance. If he hides the first pr. you'll have the second in reserve.

Most kids tend to like glasses if they really need them; seeing tends to make them a lot less awkward.

PS: Here is a good explanation of what the numbers mean: http://www.mdsupport.org/library/acuity.html

 

[debbi801]

Odds are, glasses are going to be needed.

I would try to find a good pediatric eye doctor that can maybe help offer suggestions about the sensory issues.

I would also ask if it is possible to put off wearing glasses for the time being and see about getting him moved to the front of the classes. This is what I had to do with DD. I knew she'd lose/throw away the glasses when she only needed to wear them occasionally. Since she didn't need them for much at the beginning, the eye doctor was fine with her not having them yet. We were able to buy a year.

Would he be happier with them if he gets to play a part in picking them out? Will he wear sun glasses now? Maybe get some sun glasses to let him put on and off at his pace to get used to wearing them. it is so hard. Nothing prepares you for stuff like this.

 

[merekc]

My DS5 had an eye injury (luckily he was ok) and the E.R. said to get his eyes checked. He failed their exam. I was in the Ped. office shortly thereafter and they checked it for me and said he was 20/70. Took him to an eye doctor. They said he was fine. No glasses. I wouldn't worry about it, take him to the eye doctor, the school could be wrong. The eye doctor has better, more complete tests.

 

[tmarquez]

I asked my DD's ped this at her last physical as her exam wasn't 20/20 and I was worried. I was told that children don't develop 20/20 vision until between the ages of 6 and 9.

 

[mickeyboat]

Yup - braces for 3 years for me. SORRY but I was NOT going to wear that contraption to school.

Does this bring back nightmares??? Mine was the kind that went behind yoru neck. My friend had one where the back strap sat on her head like a cap

Stop the flashbacks, please! I had the kind you wore behind your neck, too. I used to put it on, walk down the block towards school, and take it off as soon as I got around the corner.

There was one other boy in my class who had to wear headgear, too, and for a little while, we both did - as a show of support for one another. But that didn't last long.

Denae

 

[Pembo]

Dd tested 20/40 and 20/50 at school and was 20/20 at the eye doctors. He said that quick screens are not always accurate, so be confident that this is the case.

And for the person who said kids like glasses, my ds was 9 with 20/70 vision and it took us 2 years to get him to wear them all the time and admit they helped.

 

[piglet too]

All I can add is that my son passed the school's test but his one eye is only correctable to 20/40 and the other 20/80 I think. Since getting glasses he has become a whole other kid and no longer is having problems at school.

 

[Database]

I asked my DD's ped this at her last physical as her exam wasn't 20/20 and I was worried. I was told that children don't develop 20/20 vision until between the ages of 6 and 9.

That was an incorrect statement!

If a child is not corrected to 20/20 vision before age 8 or 9 their chances for developing 20/20 vision is improbable.

 

[Froggyswife]

Thanks - I am completely clueless when it comes to vision. We have a history of poor vision on both sides but I somehow seemed to have escaped that so far - so personally I have no clue what any of those numbers mean

20/40 means that what someone who has normal vision can read from 40 feet away your son has to be 20 feet away to read. Basically that is what it means.

Mine is 20/80 in left and 20/100 in the right (YES I'M BLIND! ) I got my glasses when I was 6. I loved it because my Mom told me I looked like a movie star with my glasses on. Wasn't untill I was a preteen that I hated them. Got over it when I hit my 20's. (back then astigmatism sufferes were not able to have contact lenses and still get quality vision. I'm also OLD. )

 

[Faerie]

I got glasses in 2nd grade. So did both my sisters. I liked that I could see but hated using them in school because, well kids are cruel.

Now, at 28, glasses are fashionable and I can actually wear contacts so I really have no problems with them

 

[Tomader]

I went to the eye doctor because when I turned forty I noticed I could not see close up real well. I ended up with reading glasses. My 5 year old wanted her eyes tested so I had her examined. The eye doctor told me she had 20/50 vision and a stigmatism in her left eye. He said she would need to wear the glasses all the time. I was shocked because no one in my family wears glasses. Having to hear she needed them all time made me very upset. The sad think is I never knew she had a problem seeing. I got her cute pink barbie glasses. She has been wearing them and seems to have know problem. I guess I should be glad they caught it early enough.

 

[lyzziesmom]

Mine is 20/80 in left and 20/100 in the right (YES I'M BLIND! )

That's not so bad... the last time I asked what mine is was about 12 or 13 years ago, at that time it was 20/400 in the better eye and it's gotten a lot worse since then! I wear contacts and if my vision continues to deteriorate (it's leveled off in the last 5 or so years) I won't be able to wear them anymore and will have to go back to glasses, because they only make contacts in one "power" higher than my prescription!

My DD9 was told last year by the school that her vision was 20/30, and the eye dr. said that is about right but not to worry right now about correcting it since it wasn't bothering her. Actually her vision was better than 20/20 in one eye and the dr. said that is normal in kids too.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS12 got a note that he failed the eye test at school. The pediatrician checked his vision and said it is 20/70. He has an appt. at the eye Dr. in 2 weeks. I'll be interested to hear the results.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

I got glasses in 2nd grade (I'm 22 now) - they were pretty bad then, maybe 20/100?

I wear contacts/glasses now and my prescription is... -9.5 And getting worse still with the grad school reading.

I hope they quit changing soon!

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

My youngest son tested 20/30 at school in the 4th grade. The next year he tested 20/40 (I think). His teacher pulled me aside at parent night and told me that Scott was embarrassed because the didn't test at 20/20. My son is a high achiever and thought he should have been able to get a perfect score.

I asked him about his eyesight and he admitted to not being able to see the board if he sat at the back of the class. He told me that it interfered with his work. I took him to the eye doctor. He was 11 at the time. He decided to get contacts and has had no problems whatsoever with them.