To keep him off school?

[Feminine]

DS is 14, he has terrible eyesight,can't see much at all without his glasses.

They have now broken and can't be returned/fixed till Wednesday.

In April he will be getting contacts, so problem resolved...this particular situation probably won't happen again.

I've spoken to his school, and as his attendance is not bad, they seem alright with it.

I'm not sure though, I don't wear glasses and have no idea how much they make a difference. The prescription (as I said) is strong. The glass (in the frames) takes his eyes from large to tiny.

Over the W/end he has been squinting and trying to focus , even on me.

Apparently he needs to copy work from the board , he claims he won't be able to see that -that I understand. I suppose it appears he will be finding it hard all day, if his own home is a challenge. The 'spare' glasses are useless, as his prescription got a lot stronger last March.

Is it Ok? it doesn't sit right with me...but I don't need glasses.

Thanks all. :)

[Chottie]

Can the lessons be emailed to him at home and he can read them using an enlarged font?

[Veritate]

I've worn glasses since I was 8, and at the age of 14 I certainly wouldn't have been able to manage at school without my glasses. However, I could usually manage for a few days with an older pair even if it was a weaker prescription.

[IShallWearMidnight]

I would keep him off, but then I have a prescription of -8 and -8.5, and know how impossible it would be to even get around outside the house without my glasses or contacts. Probably anything above a -5 would be imo pretty dangerous. However, the spare old glasses might be enough to be safe, and he could get a friend to copy work down for him (DD does this when she sprains her arm/hand - happens every few months or so).

[Marlinspike]

I am sure the school will be able to make adjustments such as providing handouts in large font for him.

[tethersend]

I'd send him in, having explained to the school.

Copying off the board is not the only way to learn, and the school can make adjustments like photocopying the work in a large font or checking his understanding verbally.

Unless you feel he is at risk from falling etc?

[Flobbadobs]

Could the school provide him with some extra help for a few days until he gets his new glasses? I kind of understand where he's coming from, DH has such bad eyesight that he can't see things 2 feet in front of him clearly so looking at a white board would be a pointless exercise.
Actually come to think of it if they use a whiteboard could the teacher enlarge the font for him?

[nefertarii]

Are you considering keeping him off til April?

What will you do if he loses his contacts?

[notactuallyme]

I think you know how badly he is affected and can judge accordingly. I took ds into town rather than school when his glasses broke, which the school kind of implied would be a good idea. If he can work at home than maybe?

[CajaDeLaMemoria]

I'd push whoever is repairing them - any time over 24 hours is crazy!

I went to school without glasses. The school printed what was on the board for me so I could write from that or let me copy the person next to me.

I got contacts, but then started losing them - 2 years with no problems, then I'd lose three or four a week. No idea why! Make sure whatever package he gets includes more than just one spare pair, as that doesn't go far, and enforce glasses wearing at the weekend so he doesn't damage his eyes. I have a scar from where I ignored that...

Wednesday feels so long away! I hope he gets them back faster. Not being able to see/focus is tough.

[nefertarii]

ignored me If its just til Wednesday and the school are happy then leave him the off.

But ask if work can be emailed.

[notactuallyme]

obviously that was to the opticians in town and not a jolly!

[teacherandguideleader]

Does the school have a student support unit that he can work in? That may be an option.

If not, or they can't accommodate him then I would keep him off but email his teachers for the work. If his sight is bad, he won't be safe getting himself to or from school, and he may not be safe moving around the building. Obviously if this was a long term problem the school would have to deal with this to ensure his safety (and I'm sure they would for the 3 days he would need).

Also, without his glasses, everything is going to be so much harder for him and he could be exhausted. At least at home he can take breaks when needed.

[Feminine]

Good ideas thanks very much.

His has a bad headache now (from straining) I don't know if he might fall etc...because I can't guess...I'd love to see from his perspective.

He claims everything is in macro mode


I'm going to ask the school to send the lessons I think just so he doesn't miss anything (that can't be caught up on)

[lljkk]

Could he chat to classmate(s) about what work he needs to get done, homework assignments, etc.?

Might be optimal if you could get spare lenses or contacts for him, just in case of emergencies.

[Feminine]

I'm not keeping him off till April just that he will have contacts then...and less problems with broken glasses, I hope

[nailak]

I wouldnt beabke to leave my house safely without glasses, i think it depends on the prescription for those saying about copying of boards that is not the only issue, just walking around, being able to rcognise people etc is an issue.

However he should be ok with spare glasses for a few days.

[Feminine]

I think its as we love so rural -ly that they need to be sent off.

They are quite broken, luckly its never happened before ...he is normally very careful.

[Feminine]

When I took him to the optician yesterday, he looked quite unsure of his surroundings. Its probably not safe to let him wonder about I suppose?

[lurkedtoolong]

My prescription is very strong and I literally couldn't cope even leaving the house without my glasses. I don't think it's UR to keep him off school.

You do need to make sure he has at least 1 pair of spare glasses that are the same prescription as his current glasses and when he has contacts that he has a pair of glasses.

[Feminine]

Yes lurked that is an excellent point. I don't want this happening again.

He is going to have daily contacts, plus his glasses from now on!

[Thingiebob]

I would have really really struggled without my specs when I was younger. There is no way I would managed to get through the school day without feeling headachey, in pain and generally tired and miserable as well as not being able to see anything. Closing my eyes for 20 mins at a time regularly was the only thing that would have helped.

YANBU

He does need a spare pair though.

[AngusOg]

Poor kid, I really feel for him.

As another poster said, anything over -5 is a bigger issue than just being able to copy something off the board. My eyes are marginally worse than this, without correction I am not able to:

• catch a bus (can't see it until it is on top of me, let alone figure out what number it is.)
  
• Cross a road safely / see raised sections on a pavement
  
• Recognise other people until they are VERY close
  
• Negotiate a staircase
  
• See the steps of the ruddy staircase (there's a painful memory here!)
  
• See things on a shelf in a shop
  
• In truth, I can't see anything clearly if more than 12" away from my face
  

It's only a couple of days he will miss. I think his safety is more important. Maybe look at specsavers 2 for 1 deals, so he always has a spare pair and this won't arise again?

[ChestyNut]

I wouldn't manage at all without my glasses or lenses.

Never mind board work, just walking around would be difficult.
It's awful and quite scary to not be able to see anything that's not directly in front of my face.

Yes I would keep him off and get work sent.
I also would have to stay in the house as would be a danger

[Foggles]

I also agree with those saying how scary it would be to walk around without your glasses/lenses.

However, I think your decision should be based on the difference in his prescription now to that of his spare pair.

It's unusual for eyesight to deteriorate quite that rapidly and he may be able to get around okay and get some support for the board work.

[Feminine]

Plus...I don't know that I know where is spare ones are we recently moved.

Yesterday I went through masses of things and couldn't find them.

This prescription (for the old ones) was actually 2 years old , as he had had them a year before changing last March. The optician said his eyes probably changed a lot as he went from 5ft to 5 9" in a year! lots of growing in general.