For the backstory on how our four year old daughter ended up with her first pair of glasses, CLICK HERE.

Like I said earlier, glasses were totally NOT on our radar.  But looking back at Ellie’s pre-kinderagrten class photo from this fall, she will be the fourth student out of twelve to sport frames when she walks into class with glasses today.

Here is what you need to know about eye exams and selecting frames for your child:

Eye exams should begin at age 3 unless earlier problems are noticed by your child’s physician.  This usually entails reading pictures off of an eye chart at the pediatrician’s office.  If you have any concerns – squinting, blinking, anything that makes you think there could be an issue or if your child struggles with that test, visit a Pediatric Optometrist for a more thorough exam.

As a side note, the optometrist may perform a few uncomfortable exams.  Namely, the puff of air in the eyes and eye dilation.  Ellie didn’t mind the puff of air but the dilation really upset her.  A walk over to look at frames and a few stickers were a great distraction.

If your child does need glasses, here are a few things to consider:

1.  Let your child be involved in picking out the frames.  Now, you may have noticed that Ellie doesn’t have hot pink frames with peace signs all over them, her first choice.  But she does have a little bling on the sides that make them fun for her.

2.  Select durable frames.  Glasses have come a long way since we were kids.  There are frames made out of 100% rubber with no hinges, metal frames that are extremely flexible and plastic frames that are very durable.  Seek these out because even if they are a little more expensive they will hopefully be less expensive in the long run.

3.  When fitting the frames, make sure your child is looking through the lenses and not over them.  That was huge when trying on frames with Ellie.  Those trendy little rectangles?  None of them worked.  She looked over the top defeating the purpose of wearing glasses.

4.  Polycarbonate lenses are the best for kids.  They are lightweight, scratch resistent and an all around safer choice with kids.  Transition and anti-glare lenses aren’t necessary for kids when they are young because their eyes are changing and so may be their prescriptions.

This afternoon The Little Style File is sharing our favorite frames for kids for $175 or less, be sure to come back and see what we picked!

For information on free eye exams in your area, visit Lions Club International.  Our family is so happy they were there to screen kids at our district’s Kindergarten screening!

Do your kids wear glasses?  What are your tips and tricks for eye exams and selecting frames?