How does the specialist know my child needs glasses?

When the pupil is enlarged with drops or ointment, the specialist has a good view of the back of the eye. By moving a line of light across the back of the eye, it is possible to measure what strength of glasses are needed.

Will my child always need to wear glasses?

This will depend to some extent on the age of the child, the strength of the glasses, and on whether they are also required as part of the treatment of squint or lazy eye. Your orthoptist will be able to answer this question.

Should my child wear glasses all day?

In most cases, yes. If the glasses are not needed full time, your orthopist will tell you. Some schools require children to leave off their glasses at playtimes and for PE lessons for safety reasons. Provided the glasses have plastic lenses this is not really necessary, but if the school is insistent, please stress the importance of your child wearing them for the rest of the day.

My child claims to see better without the glasses or the glasses appear misty

This is a very common complaint in the early days of wearing glasses. Your child has been struggling with reduced vision for some time, and now the brain and eyes have got to learn to work together with the help of glasses. This can take some time and initially the glasses may not help the child very much. Please persevere - this is a very important stage of the treatment.

The glasses look very strong!

If you do not wear glasses or your glasses are for a different condition, your child's glasses will look very odd to you.

We prescribe the glasses that will help your child to achieve the best possible vision.

What are long sight, short sight and astigmatism?

LONG SIGHT - is caused by the eye being too small, so that the rays of light entering the eye focus behind the retina (back of the eye) instead of on the retina.

Long sighted children may have reduced vision for near and distance.

SHORT SIGHT - is caused by the eye being too large, so that the rays of light entering the eye focus in front of the retina instead of on the retina. Short sighted children have reduced vision for near and for distance, but it tends to affect distance vision more.

ASTIGMATISM - in addition to being long or short sighted, your child's eyes may be an irregular shape and, as a result, vision is affected at all distances.

How do I find out about my child’s eyesight?

Ask any of the eyecare professionals involved with your child's treatment and they will be able to answer any specific questions you may have.