10 Tips for Buying Kids' Eyewear

If you're a parent, you probably know that walking into an optical store can be a little confusing. There may be lots of children's eyeglass frames to choose from, but that's the problem! How do you figure out which ones: a) your child is willing to wear and b) will last longer than the ride home?

To begin with, most children who need eyeglasses are either nearsighted or farsighted. Depending on the degree of visual correction necessary, an eye doctor will prescribe glasses for full- or part-time wear. Some kids will be instructed to take their eyeglasses off for schoolwork, while others need to have them on every waking moment.

Sometimes the eye doctor will make specific recommendations about suitable eyeglass frames, but often that decision is left up to the parents, the child and the optical dispenser who fits the glasses.

Here are 10 items to consider to make your trip to the optical as painless as possible, and to ensure that you get children's glasses that will last a long time.

The prescription is always the primary consideration in choosing glasses. Before you start looking for the frames, consult with the optician. If the prescription calls for strong lenses that are likely to be thick, it is important to keep the frames as small as possible in order to eliminate any distortion in the lenses. The optician can give you a good idea of how thick the lenses will be and can recommend suitable frames to mask some of the thickness, as well as ways to make thick lenses appear thinner.

Whether they are full- or part-time eyeglass wearers, most kids get at least a little teasing about their specs, especially the first time they wear them. One way to help make your child more comfortable with wearing glasses is to allow her to choose her own frames. Your kid won't want to get anything "uncool," yet you don't want her wearing something you find objectionable. However, keep in mind that the real object is to get her to wear the glasses.

The optician can tell you which frames are popular and can point you to the classic styles. Be forewarned: if the frames you choose are too faddish, you may not be able to get your child to wear them next year, when they're hopelessly outdated.

Children's frames are made of either plastic or metal (also known as "wire"). Double bridges are found on boys' frames, while frames with single bridges are either unisex or strictly for girls. A lot of manufacturers copy adult styles for children's frames. Kids like these styles a lot because they are more grown-up. It's not unusual for kids to ask for glasses that look just like Mom's or Dad's.

In the past, plastic eyeglasses were a better choice for children because they were considered more durable, less likely to be bent or broken, lighter in weight and less expensive. But now manufacturers are making metal frames that incorporate these features as well. Metal composition varies, so ask the optician which one is best for your child, based on his or her experience with different alloys. Ask for hypoallergenic materials if your child has shown sensitivity to certain substances.
 

One of the toughest parts about choosing suitable frames for kids is that their noses are not fully developed, so they don't have a bridge to prevent plastic frames from sliding down. Metal frames, however, are usually made with adjustable nose pads, so they fit everyone's bridge. Most manufacturers recognize this difficulty with plastic frames and make their bridges to fit small noses.

Each frame must be evaluated individually to make sure it fits the bridge. If there are any gaps between the bridge of the frame and the bridge of the nose, the weight of the lenses will cause the glasses to slide, no matter how well the frame seems to fit before the lenses are made. It is important that the glasses stay in place, because kids have a tendency to look right over the tops of the lenses instead of pushing slipping glasses back up where they belong. The optician is usually the best judge of whether a frame fits properly.

Temples that wrap all the way around the back of the ear are helpful in making sure that the glasses don't slide down or drop off a child's face completely. These wraparound temples, called "cable temples," are generally available on metal frames and are especially helpful to keep glasses in place on toddlers.

Cable temples are not a good choice for part-time eyeglass wearers, however, as they are a bit more awkward to put on and take off. For glasses that go on and off frequently, it is better to have regular, or "skull," temples that go straight back and then curve gently around the back of the ear.

A nice feature to look for is temples with spring hinges. These special hinges allow the temples to flex outward, away from the frames, without causing any damage. Although they sometimes cost a bit more, spring hinges can be a worthwhile investment on children's eyewear. Kids are not always careful when they put on and take off glasses, and the spring hinges can help prevent costly repairs. They also come in handy if the child falls asleep with the glasses on, or just has a rough day at play. Spring hinges are strongly recommended for toddlers, who sometimes get carried away playing with their new glasses.

Once you and your child agree on frames that you both like, the next consideration is the lenses. Children's lenses should be made of polycarbonate, because it is the most impact-resistant material around. (It is actually the same plastic that bullet-proof glass is made of!) In addition to being the safest material, it is also lighter in weight than regular plastic lenses, a nice advantage for strong prescriptions. Polycarbonate has built-in protection against potentially damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays, and the lenses are scratch-resistant coated by the manufacturer or fabrication lab.

The price for polycarbonate lenses is generally comparable to, if not less than, the cost for regular plastic lenses with UV and scratch-resistant coatings. And with polycarbonate, kids get that extra margin of safety to protect their eyes.

The least desirable material for your child's lenses is glass. Although it must be treated for safety, glass still shatters when it breaks, and broken glass — even safety glass — is a hazard to the eye. Glass lenses are also a little heavier, which makes them less comfortable to wear.

Polycarbonate is such a safe lens material that you may be tempted to let your child play sports in his regular glasses. The drawback is that, although polycarbonate is the lens material used for sports eyewear, regular eyeglass frames do not provide enough protection from large objects such as balls and flying elbows. So if your kid is involved in sports, a proper sports goggle with polycarbonate lenses will afford the most protection against eye injury.

Sports goggles must be fitted properly in order to provide the maximum amount of protection, so consult with an eyecare professional before making a purchase. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, a sports goggle should have a larger vertical eye opening, rather than a smaller one. If an impact should occur and the goggles are pushed toward the face, a large eye opening keeps the impact points far above and far below the eyes. With a small opening, however, the goggle hits right at the edge of the eye socket, which can damage the globe of the eye.

Many optical retailers offer a warranty plan that will replace eyewear at no charge or for a minimal fee in case of damage to the frames or lenses. Consider opting for the warranty, especially if your child is a toddler or a first-time wearer.

These Fisher-Price "Euro" frames have a grown-up look but are sized for kids' faces.

Be aware, however, that not all warranty plans are the same. It is to your advantage to thoroughly investigate replacement costs with and without the warranty plan. Generally, if the warranty costs you less or about the same amount as the fee to replace one single lens, it is worth the price. It is easier to scratch a lens than to do almost any other kind of damage to the glasses. If a lens is scratched, you must replace it, because it can compromise your child's vision development.

If your child's vision is so poor that she has difficulty functioning without her glasses, you may want to purchase a backup pair of glasses in case something happens to the primary pair and they are out of commission for a week or so while being repaired.

A sports goggle can double nicely as a spare pair of glasses. In addition, prescription sunglasses make a good backup pair. If your child wears glasses, she needs prescription sunglasses as well. You may choose to simply use an old pair of glasses for the sunglasses, and have the doctor's office coat them with UV protection and tint them dark. Then, in an emergency, the dye can be removed so that the glasses can be used indoors again.