Maybe you got a note sent home that your child didn’t pass the eye screening at school. Perhaps they have complained of headaches or had trouble seeing the whiteboard in class. Whatever the reason, you find you and your child at the eye doctor being handed a prescription for glasses. Now what?

eyeglasses on eye chart

Below are a few things to think about as your child enters their newly bespectacled world.

Understanding the issue

Nearsighted? Farsighted? Lazy eye? What exactly is your child’s diagnosis? Talk with your doctor candidly about the issues and any possible struggles your child might encounter.

Because their eyes are still developing, it is possible for children to grow out of certain issues. Or they might need glasses for the rest of their life. How often will your doctor expect to see your child now? Whatever your concerns are, be sure to fully understand what you might encounter through this sight-centric journey.

The emotional aspect

This new addition to your child’s life sits front and center on their face. While many of your child’s classmates might find his or her new glasses “cool”, there still might be those kids who will use name-calling like “Four-eyes”. Even at a young age, children are tuned in that glasses make them different. It can be an emotional time of transition, and it’s your job to convince them how it makes them unique.

Glasses on blocks

Type of glasses

The super trendy hipster frames might be adorable, but your child will likely break them before you even leave the doctor’s waiting room. Those wrap-around-the-head styles might be overkill for your older daughter.

Assess your child’s age and needs to decide what type of glasses will work best. The lens part themselves are most likely made of scratch-resistant, shatterproof material, and all lenses pretty much look the same. The fun part is picking out the frames. Choosing a style they like and are comfortable with is key. (You may want to get a backup pair, because pair number one will most likely break at some point). Depending on what sport they play, you many want to get one “regular” pair and one “sports” pair.

broken glasses


Glasses are going to be a new responsibility for your child. Make sure they understand that other kids won’t be allowed to try them on. Give them the rhetoric to practice for when classmates ask.

Also, keep the second pair of glasses with you, because they next thing you know, the spare pair becomes a part of the play date dress-up party. If you don’t have sport-type frames, it will be your job to train your kid when the glasses should come off. Bounce houses and pools are places that come to mind.

Above all, you child now sees the world more clearly. You might even witness an uptick in behavior or school engagement. Vision correction is such a positive turn…and your child in glasses is just another part of them to love.