How to Properly Choose Eyeglasses for Your Kids
Fortunately for today’s kids, the eyeglasses that are produced for them today have come a long way from the horn-rimmed spectacles of the past. Glasses are made more impact and scratch-resistant too.
If you found yourself trying to properly choose a pair of eyeglasses for your kid, then follow these helpful tips to make your task successful:
1. Choose a Modern Style, But Avoid Trends
Down through the ages, kids have always picked on other kids who wear glasses. There’s little you can do about that. What you can do, though, if your child is at least school-age, is to allow him or her to have a voice in choosing their frames. Afterall, your student goes to school every day. They see what the other kids are wearing, what’s in style, and what is “cool.”
But, draw the line if your kid likes a style of eye frame that’s a bit too trendy. Trends come and go so fast, that the eyeglasses would be out-of-date before you knew it! Then, you’d probably have problems getting your kid to wear the “uncool” glasses.
Typically, eyeglasses for kids are divided into specific styles for “boys” and “girls”. However, some styles are categorized as being “unisex”, meaning that either sex can wear them.
2. Plastic or Metal Eyeglass Frames?
Plastic used to be the recommended material for kids’ glasses. It was considered to be more flexible, yet sturdier, and the perfect choice for frames on an active child. (My mother believed this, and she wouldn’t allow me to wear any eyeglass lens that weren’t made from plastic.)
Though metal eyeglass frames, or “wire frames” as they are often called, have gotten a bad rap in the past, today’s glasses are made tough to handle the abuse that children give them. There are several types of metal eyeglass frames for kids, including Monel, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Nickel Silver, and Titanium.
These metals can be formed into stylish, yet lightweight frames.
If your child is allergic to metal, then he or she probably can’t wear metal eyeglass frames that contain nickel. Make sure that you properly choose the right frames by looking for “hypo-allergenic” ones.
Another advantage to buying your kid eyeglasses with metal frames is the adjustable nose pads they usually have. Since children’s noses haven’t grown to their full size yet, they lack a developed bridge part of their nose. The bridge helps to keep a pair of glasses from sliding down your nose.
The “temples” on eyeglass frames are the two long posts that attach to the frame on one end. The other end extends from your face to your ear. In order to properly choose the best temples for your kid’s glasses, the temples should actually wrap around their ears. This feature will help keep their glasses on their faces, especially during rough activities.
Have you ever seen a pair of eyeglasses from the 1800’s? Eyeglass manufacturers way back when knew the importance of “wrapped temples”. The frames were always made of metal, and the front part was round in shape. The temples always curved around the wearer’s ears so they stayed in place.
Unlike wearing eyeglasses with straight temples, your child will have to learn how to carefully remove each temple from around their ear. Simply pulling forward, or yanking their eyeglasses upward, can cause damage to the eyewear.
3. Lens Materials
The experts recommend that children’s eyeglass lens should be made with polycarbonate. And why not? It’s shatter-resistant and much lighter than glass. The lighter weight is especially important if your child’s eyeglass prescription is strong and thick.
And finally, if your child needs to wear eyeglasses all the time to see, it would be a good idea to check into purchasing a second pair to use as a spare.
