Schedule an appointment with your eye doctor if your child exhibits any
of these signs.
[Read more about eye exams for children
and vision problems of schoolchildren.]
7. How do I choose glasses that my child
will actually wear without breaking the bank?
The most important factor in getting a child to wear glasses is to let him or her
help pick them out. Read more motivational tips.
Before you go shopping, check out our primer on Kids' Frames,
which includes the top five trends in children's glasses. Also, learn what features
make kids' glasses more durable (so you get more for your dollar) in our
10 Tips for Buying Kids' Eyewear article.
8. I'm worried that my son's glasses could
break while he's wearing them. What's the best way to protect his eyes?
Polycarbonate is usually recommended for children because it's very impact-resistant. Read
more about polycarbonate.
9. How can I prolong the life of my eyeglasses?
- If you're buying just one pair of glasses, avoid trendy frames that
could go out of style quickly.
- If you're buying glasses for a child whose prescription changes often,
ask to have new lenses put in the old frames, rather than buying new frames each time.
- Choose a style with spring hinges,
which allow the temples
to flex slightly outward without breaking the eyeglasses.
- Ask for scratch-resistant coating.
- Follow your eyecare professional's instructions for the proper care
of your glasses. Improper care is a primary cause of damage to anti-reflective coating
and can cause other problems as well.
10. How often should I get a new pair of glasses?
You should get a new pair if your prescription has changed; your doctor
will let you know. Therefore, it's important to know how often to visit the
eye doctor: it depends on many factors, but as a general rule, you should go
once a year or once every two years. Your doctor can tell you what schedule is right for you.
If your prescription doesn't change very often, or at all, just get
new glasses when you're tired of your old ones or they go out of style.
11. I can see fine to read or drive, but I'm
having trouble with certain tasks, especially at work. What's wrong?
You should see your eye doctor if you're having any sort of problem
with your vision. However, we can tell you some reasons this might be happening.
This is common problem for computer users who wear bifocals
(which correct near and far vision) or reading glasses (which correct near vision),
because computer monitors tend to be in your intermediate vision, neither near
nor far. The solution is to ask your eye doctor about intermediate
vision correction, either in the form of computer glasses,
progressive lenses or
trifocals.
Sometimes, the problem is that the near-vision portion of your glasses is
not compatible with what you're doing. Golfers, for example, benefit from
having that portion placed very low and in the inside corner, so that it doesn't
interfere with their game. Read more about these special types of multifocals,
called occupational lenses.
12. I'm tired of my "Coke-bottle" lenses.
Is there anything I can do?
You could ask your eye doctor about high-index lenses, which are
compressed, or aspheric lenses, which have a flatter curve than regular lenses. Read more
about high-index and
aspheric lenses.
13. The anti-reflective coating on my
glasses is smeary (or foggy). What causes that and what can I do about it?
Cleaning your eyeglasses improperly is a common cause
of problems with anti-reflective coating. When you bought your
eyeglasses, your eye doctor probably explained the best way to care
for them; usually, you use lens spray and a certain type of cloth, like
microfiber.
Sometimes, your eye doctor may be able to remove the damaged
coating, but usually not. There's nothing you can do at home.
14. Do my glasses protect my eyes from the sun?
That depends. Many people have plastic lenses, which do not protect
your eyes; you need to have UV coating
for protection. Polycarbonate lenses have built-in UV protection. Glass lenses
protect your eyes from harmful UVB rays, but not from UVA; some experts think
UVA rays might have long-term, damaging effects on your eyes and
skin.
15. What do all those numbers in my
prescription mean?
An eyeglass prescription is written in a standardized format
with standardized notation so it can be interpreted worldwide.
Let's look at one and break it down:
-2.00 -1.00 x 180. The first number (-2.00) tells us the spherical
refractive error (farsightedness or nearsightedness). In this case,
because there is a minus sign in front of the 2.00, this patient is
nearsighted. A plus sign would indicate farsightedness.
The second number (-1.00) is the astigmatism. If there is no
astigmatism, we generally write the letters DS or SPH after the first
number to let the optician know that we didn't just forget to write in
the astigmatism.
The final number (180) is the direction of the astigmatism. Astigmatism,
a football-shaped eye, can be measured in any direction around the clock. We
use the numbers from 90 to 180 to indicate the orientation of the football shape.
There may be additional numbers in a glasses prescription. For instance,
if the basic prescription is followed by a small number with a superscript (1^)
it indicates prism correction. There may be more than one set of prism numbers
for each eye.
Lastly, there can also be numbers denoting the amount of near reading strength
needed (bifocal or progressive). They usually go from +0.75 to +3.00, depending
on age and visual need.
The letters OD and OS in front of a prescription let us know which eye each
string of numbers is for. OD stands for right eye and OS for left eye, while OU means
both eyes.
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