My son just turned 5 and we found out yesterday that he needs a very high perscription for glasses. He is farsided and has astygmatism(sp?)

I was so surprised by the O.D's findings becuase he has never showed any signs of not being able to see well.

Just looking for others input. I'm just so unsure about him starting kindergarten with glasses, and him being an active boy etc..
Thanks for letting me vent!

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 12:03 pm:

My sister was wearing a high prescription by the time she was 4. She had a +7.25 I think. She wasn't all that active but she had a stretchy band that she wore for dance class that kept them on. It just attached to the ends of the earpieces. She didn't show any signs of it until she started to read and had trouble seeing the letters up close. I don't think she had many issues with them because she started school withthem and the kids never knew her any differently. She is also far-sighted with an astigmatism. She started wearing contacts when she was eight and that helped her eyes not change anymore. In 4 years, she went up to a +8.75, almost legally blind, but they haven't changed since then.
That's my experience, hope it was helpful. There are some really cute glasses out there ofr kids now!

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 12:07 pm:

My 10yo wears glasses (when he remembers to put them on! lol). He just got them last fall and he's on his third pair already. The first broken ones were his fault, but the second broken pair just broke. His eyes aren't terrible, maybe 20/40 or so, but the doc thought they would help. He doesn't have any trouble with other kids teasing him, and we have had to have them adjusted because of a wayward soccer ball to the face. lol We got his at Sam's Club and they're the kind that bend and twist (but they can still break!). I think they were around $135 or so (a LOT cheaper than the eye doc's office!). I also have a day care kindergartener that wears glasses. His is for astygmatisms, mainly. Without his glasses if he's looking at something, he looks at it with his head not facing it--kind of like he's looking out of the corners of his eyes instead of straight on. He's had to have his glasses adjusted, too. Once that I remember--a classmate pulled them off his face and bent them a little. I had glasses as a child and they were always getting knocked off my face one way or another, but I never broke a pair. (that was when the "new" hinged glasses had just come out--an I dating myself??? lol) My neighbor's dd (almost 6yo) just got glasses, too. He said her eyes were 20/70 and 20/100. She loves being able to see everything clearly now, and even said the type on her school papers is darker!

I knew a little girl that was almost legally blind in one eye, and her parents didn't have a clue until she failed the school's eye test (which your eyes have to be worse than 20/40 to fail--my son passed this). Don't feel bad for not knowing. You know now and you're getting him what he needs. I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm also sure he'll love seeing everything he missed before.

By Mommyathome on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:18 pm:

If he's going to need them, I would go ahead and get them before he starts school. That way, it's not a "change" for anyone involved.
If he were to go to school for months without them and then show up with them, kids might notice more. But, if he's always had them, then that's just the way it is.
I think that kindergarten kids would think that it's pretty cool to have glasses

By Conni on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 03:15 pm:

If you question the prescript, you can always go get a second opinion! I have been to 4 different eye docs as an adult and the first one gave me a very strong prescript, then I changed docs eventually and he said my glasses were too strong and thats why I had headaches all the time!! The latest doc I go to is really, really good and my eyes have never felt better. I never knew there could be such a difference in eye docs??

I took my oldest too Wal-Mart when he was 4 or 5 and they told me he had a 'lazy eye' and sent us too a very expensive highly recommended specialist in the area in case he needed surgery. Well, he outgrew it I guess and never needed surgery. He has needed glasses since then tho. You dont even want to know how many pair we have been thru. Make sure you get a warranty. We now go to Wal-Mart and buy them for much less. (or like cat above--sams club) He goes to my eye doctor now and he wont put him in contacts until 7th grade (next fall for us) or later!! So I am hoping my ds will be able to handle the responsibility this next yr--because I would love to see him play sports with contacts on.

btw--He cannot see the board from the front row when he forgets his glasses! His eyes are worse than mine.

Good luck!

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 03:19 pm:

I had to start wearing glasses in kindergarten. In fact, that is the only school picture where I don't have glasses on, since I didn't have them yet. It is more important for him to be able to see properly than to worry about him starting kindergarten with glasses. At the school where I work, there are a couple of kindergarten kids with glasses. I think they are cute!

I don't remember anyone making a big deal out of my getting glasses after the school year started, but that was a long time ago! I don't even remember a time when I didn't have glasses on my face! LOL!

By Bea on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 04:48 pm:

Just remember to buy the insurance when you buy glasses. Our son broke, mangled, lost and smashed dozens of pairs of glasses when he was little. It can get very expensive.

By Truestori on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 04:59 pm:

I thank everyone for their input. In reading over my post above it does sound as if I am worried about my son starting kindergarten in glasses. I am not worried about how he will look or what the other children think, I was just concerned about how to keep them on his little face, and if people had more experience with little ones in glasses then my family. I am actually looking into Natural Vision Improvement also. I'm just concerned that he is really young and his eyes are still developing...etc...

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:42 pm:

I just managed to keep them on my face. I never had extra straps or anything.

By Sue3 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:38 pm:

I didn`t read all the post`s. My DD has had glasses since she was 2 and 1/2.
They are high perscription`s one`s also.She is 9 now.
Your Ds will get used to them quickly.Also the arm`s on the glasses for little one`s curl around the ears so that helps a lot for them to stay on.And do what
Bea suggested if you can because my DD lost and misplaced and stepped on so many pair when she was young (and first got them)It was very expensive to replace them , also you can get the plastic un breakable lenses.
My DD is very active so this helped.That way if they get hit with a ball or something the lenses pop out instead of shattering.
the only down fall was they scratched very easily so we had to replace the lenses often when she was younger,not nearly as much now.
Good luck !

By Peggy13 on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 02:11 pm:

My one son (now 12) has been wearing a very strong prescription since was in kindergarten - he is very farsighted and has an asytigmatism. He had no trouble keeping them on when he realized he could "see" with the glasses on. He just got contacts this past year and is doing very well with them - although the doctor originally didn't think he could wear soft contact lenses because of the strong prescription, but no problem. Good luck! Glasses are "cool" today - kids like them.

By Jackie on Sunday, May 9, 2004 - 07:28 am:

Stori
My daughter started wearing glasses last September, and we are on her 3rd pair LOL. We brought her to the eye dr(Which is a MD, not an OD)because she had a lazy eye. Well they found out she also cant see well close up. We never knew that. He started her out with a low prescription saying he would increase it, but wanted her to get use to it. She wears them all the time like she is instructed too. I was in shock she has done so well with them. Im guessing its because she can see better. About 3 weeks ago, the eye dr increased her prescription strength. I think they are very strong, and had kept asking her if things were blurry. She said she sees just perfect through them.
Shes even gotten to the point of when she wakes up, she puts them on herself before coming downstairs. Im so proud of her on well she wears them. The last pair she broke at a McDonalds playland. So now if she is playing rough like at mcdonalds or the park, I take them off of her.. It will save us from breaking them.
She does fine wearing them at preschool, and I know will be fine wearing them when she starts Kindergarten in September.