*This is a sponsored post* Most vision issues are always hereditary. There’s nothing we can do to avoid this so it’s best to just plan ahead if you know your family has a history of sight concerns. However, what kind of planning should you do? Well, it’s not radical so don’t worry, you can follow these steps with relative ease.
Ask about eyesight condition
Usually, a child will begin to complain that they can’t see the TV as clearly as they used to. They might not say anything at first, but they will begin to squint and then want to edge closer to the screen. Ask them about their eyes and see if they confess to any recent eyesight issues. Just talking about their eyesight could help to identify the issue. They might have an eye condition that isn’t related to the degeneration of their eyesight.
They could have….
- Dry eye condition. This is when their eyes are unable to lubricate themselves every time they blink. It’s a lack of fluid around the eyes that can lead to blurred vision and causing their dry eyes to fool them into thinking they have vision loss.
- Cataracts. This is a very potent condition which eventually ends up in blindness. It’s not to be confused with regular eyesight degeneration. If your child says they have patches of blurry vision and their eyes seem to be clouding up, this is a cause of cataracts and you need to get it checked out right away.
- Eye infection. A very common problem with children as they put their dirty hands into their eyes all the time. If their eyes are pinkish or reddish, and possibly have puss building up at the edges, then take them to the doctor. It’s not related to sight degeneration but it can blur vision and cause the eye to shut due to the swelling.
Actual signs of sight degeneration
It’s difficult to know when exactly one’s sight begins to fade. It’s over characterized by seeing things as you would through an out of focus camera lens. Things are just as sharp anymore and you can’t clearly define lines and shapes anymore. The former is a clear sign, as being unable to properly see the ‘points’ of two lines meet is going to obscure your vision and make it seem as if your eyes cannot focus on an object.
The other signs are that your child is unable to see things far away. It’s not just that they are blurred but they simply don’t appear normally as we can see them. Lines and shapes merge into a ball and don’t have a defined character until they come close enough to make out. This is of course for someone suffering from short-sightedness. There is also the opposite, long-sightedness which is not as common as the former.
Eye test
Many opticians will advertise their eye test as ‘simple’. But it’s anything but. They will take your child into a room where they have very large and expensive equipment. They will run them through a series of tests that could go as follows.
- A number of letter tests, with each letter becoming smaller and smaller.
- The same will be done with numbers.
- They will also show your children pictures of animals and other objects and see which shapes they can recognize better.
- They will also use black and green filters to see which lens is closer to your eye’s natural focus level.
- They will mix all of these things together the more you can progress into the test.
Going in for an eye test will show you if your children do really need glasses. Until then, all things are speculative and you shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. It’s vital to do your own research, but relying on the experts is the only way to take the right course of action.
Choosing the best glasses
Your optician will prescribe lenses and frames. You can skip the latter if you want and just go onto https://www.eyeglasses.com to select your own pair. They have an incredible amount of choice and have some really modern and sophisticated frames up for grabs. They also have different types of glasses for different occasions. If your child likes to read or run, they have frames which would be perfect for their lifestyle. You can select the size, style, shape and design. They will make sure that they also offer you an affordable price for any frames you choose.
Involve your child in the process and allow them to select a style they want. Remember that they will be the ones who are wearing the glasses day in and day out. So don’t be controlling, and just let them choose the frames from the website.
Getting used to them
We know that kids are messy, so wait until they get their glasses and watch how messy they become too. So part of getting used to owning a pair of glasses is learning how to maintain them and handle them.
- Pick your glasses up from the bridge, do not hold them from the frames or the legs. The legs are thin and flimsy, designed to be lightweight and comfortable. The frames should never be held as the lenses can become loose with too much pressure.
- Clean them once a week or once a day, depending on the smudges that are left on the lenses.
- It’s okay to find them irritating around the nose, but that’s why you should find a material for the nose studs that you like. This can be done at bespoke glasses stores, as they can fit rubber, silicone, metal or plastic nose supports.
- Getting headaches. For the first week or so, your eyes will be adjusting to how clear the world is. So your children will feel dizzy and maybe get a headache. It’s okay, just tell them to wear their glasses in intervals. Spend 2 hours with them on and 30 minutes with them off.
Getting glasses is a new challenge for many youngsters but, for parents, it should be a chance to guide them through something that will be necessary.