ot-any helpful hints with children's glasses

[mickeymom1]

my ds7 just got a script for glasses and i was wondering if any of you experienced pros might have some helpful hints for a first timer. he has down syndrome so i am trying to figure out any secret tips (putting his name on them, handling them in school, etc.) so i don't have to learn the hard way.....after he breaks or loses his glasses !

i appreciate any insight that you can share!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

If you think he might break the frames, I'd suggest metal frames. The place we got DD's first glasses suggested that because they ben rather than break. She has dropped her glasses and rolled over them with her wheelchair (even her power wheelchair) and we were able to have them bent back into shape. If she had plastic ones, they would have just snapped.

When she first got them, we had a strap to keep them on her head. That was quite useful. We had the kind that people use for sunglasses that allowed them to be taken off and still stay around her neck. Some people use tighter types like croakies.

 

[ducklite]

Get the kind with the springs in the hinges so the stems can bend backwards a bit as well.

Some adults need that type as well...

Anne

 

[amykathleen2005]

They also have ones that are kind of like goggles if you want to shell out some extra money for when you know he is going to be playing. I would say you still need to be careful with the metal frames because they can bend relatively easily. I know when I was younger the place where I got the glasses engraved my name and address on the inside of the left ear piece/stick looking thing. Finally, put clear nail polish on the screws to keep them from coming undone.

 

[Tissa]

My boys have worn Flexon frames since they were toddlers. They go back into shape and really take a beating. They run about $250 though.

 

[Vijoge]

My son, now 17, has worn glasses since he was 4. Best advise I can give is GET THE INSURANCE! I can't begin to count the number of frames and lenses he has broken over the years.

 

[SandrainNC]

Hi! My son also has Down syndrome and just got glasses this past September (he was 5 1/2 then). It took him about a month to get used to wearing them. We wish we would have paid the $250 for the flexon type, but at the time thought that was a bit much. We did get metal frames and they do bend some, but not like those completely flexible ones. One pair he completely bent the arm off and a lense fell out. The others (we got two pairs) are really scratched up from the first month. We did get warranties on both though through Vision Works. If I had to do it over, I would get the flexon type just because of the beating they have gone through. We also got the "hook" things put on to go around his ears so they would stay on better. He does really well in them now. He can see without them so it was a problem getting him to leave them on. He crosses one of his eyes without them.

Good luck!

Sandra

 

[ms_mckenna]

My youngest has CP and is really really hard on glasses! I have to say get scratch resistant lenses and the kind of glasses that bend. Alex's were bought at Walmart and you can throw them up against the wall and they are still fine.
He kept losing them so we bought one of the bands for sports that hooks onto the earpieces. They have been a lifesaver! They have a little thing in the back that you can tighten them up, so they don't fall off his head.

 

[LisaBi]

My son is 13 and has Down Syndrome. He's had glasses since he was 2. At first it was a struggle. We used straps, etc. but he still managed to remove them. Around age 4 we discovered he threw them in the kitchen trash - but not until AFTER the trash pickup. We've always bought the insurance and/or flexon frames and that has proven to be a very smart investment. I don't know what changed for DS, but about the time he was 8 he started demanding to have his glasses on all the time - we still have to fight to get him to take them off for bed!

 

[1stluvispooh]

Ok as a form optician (and work at a place that specialized in children's glasses) and started wearing glass at age 5 my self I'll put in my 2 cents. Everyone is on the mark. Diffidently go with metal frames. They bend before the break. Spring hinges with kids are a must! If you think he will take off his glasses get a short sports band and use it at least at first. Most places have a replacement warranty that you do not have to pay extra for. Ask exactly what that covers before you put more money down on a warranty. You might want to check around and see if anyone is having a 2 pair deal going on. If they did that when I was a kid it would have made life easier because no matter how careful a kids is they are going to break and if there is a second pair getting them repaired wouldn't be such an emergency. Most places now put kids in polycarbonate lenses. They are the most impact resistant. (the kind that goes into sports glasses). Good luck. If a kid has a significant Rx they will want to wear them because they can see. My parents made it non negotiable that once I was dressed for the day that my glasses where on.

 

[Bugsmom73]

Get the kind with the springs in the hinges so the stems can bend backwards a bit as well.

Some adults need that type as well...

Anne

Parents with young kids need these too.

DD has never had any problems.

 

[mickeymom1]

thanks everyone for the great tips!!

it has been a week and so far so good . we did get the metal ones with the hinges. we got a system worked out with school and they have been great helping him.

thanks again!!!

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I agree with everyone else, metal frames. DS has had glasses since he was 5. I get his from our local COSTCO store. I love the people there We are in about every two to three weeks to get his glasses readjusted. I don't know how his glasses get bent out of shape the way they do Never once have they complained about having to readjust them. It's also a free service

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

We always get the flexon frames. Ds is rough on his and always breaks them if they don't give. Make sure the teachers at school knows he has them and is to always wear them. That way they will not get lost. We have yet to have DS lose glasses. Although he did put them face down on concrete and stand on his 4 day old pair and scratch the lenses while on our first Disney cruise (UGH) while trying to see in the Atlantis aquarium.

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

If the flex frame price is a bit steep for you, I would also suggest checking around at local eye glass repair shoppes (not the big box stores). After DD9 broke one the arms off her glasses, we had them both replaced with flex arms for about $35. If the sports band type bands are too snug for comfort, you might want to check into the "fisher man type straps". They are nylon cords that slip over the arms and hang loosely in the back but they have an alligator clip the clamps onto the shirt collar

 

[Janet Hill]

Costco

We can get glasses here as cheap or cheaper than our VSP insurance plan co-pay (even the Flex-on type frames). Since we have to replace our son's glasses more often than the insurance will cover, we've got glasses here a couple of times. Our son actually loses them more than he breaks them. Down side is that they take longer.