New to glasses - any tips?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

DD (9) is really upset that she needs glasses. She only found out yesterday, so is just coming to terms with it and I know she’ll be fine.

Lots of her friends have glasses so she won’t be feeling left out. She just has to get used to what she looks like with them on and I’m sure she will. However, I don’t wear glasses so haven’t much experience here. Anything I need to know?

[Ifailed]

Get two pairs, as a new user she's bound to loose one pair at least. Presumably she will be allowed to choose the style? If so and you are on a budget, make sure you have an idea of the cost of frames you can afford before she goes to choose - considering frames are just a bit of plastic and a metal hinges, they are extortionate!

[BikeRunSki]

Don’t clean the lenses with toilet roll/tissue etc. Any little bits of wood left in will scratch the lenses. I hate the smell of the cleaning spray stuff, so I just clean my specs with a little warm soapy water and dry with a towel occasionally.

If they become loose, the optician can tighten them up again. I’ve never been charged for this. Ditto if they are too tight or just don’t sit right for any readon, but there is a limit to how far and how often glasses can bend! (There are some which are designed to be very flexible, but these are very £££).

If your dd is sporty, look into prescription sports glasses (Optilabs) and goggles (Watersports Warehouse). They are cheaper than you think!


Take your box swimming with you, to leave your glasses in in the locker, so they don’t get damaged as you bundle everything out later. Don’tleave your glasses in your shoe as I used to!

[mum98760]

Nerd stick will stop them from sliding down her nose

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Thanks - just the kind of tips I need.

[BikeRunSki]

If you want to buy spares/sunglasses/goggles etc from a different optician/online, then your original optician has to give you your prescription.

[Maybeicanhelp]

She should clean them properly and regularly.

Also (and this is one of my pet peeves), never put them lens side down. Try to get her to put them in her case when taking them off, to keep them safe.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Discuss what will be done with them during PE time at school.
e.g. in a glasses box in her tray versus tucked into her school shoes on the floor to be stepped on by someone else.

DD2 has had glasses since she was 5, and transition ones since she was 10 or so, which her friends thought were very cool. (Not worth it if you think prescription may change in 6 months though).

[reluctantbrit]

DD wears glasses for 3 years now. She only once damaged a pair but the optician was able to put the lenses straight back into the same frame luckily, otherwise you may need to take 1week into account to get new ones.

I prefer a small optician to spec savers who over you the 2for1 deals but DH and I also wear glasses and are fussy about the service and my prescription is so bad, I need special glasses anyway.

We have a case wher DD puts her glasses in for swimming or PE. That obviously depends on her prescription, from a certain point onwards you just can’t take glasses of and expect to see without problems. But then you normally can get prescription goggles or sport glasses.

Get a decent pair of sunglasses as well, maybe not now anymore but a hat is not the same to a good pair of sunglasses.

Get her into a good routine where to put them for being in the bath, nighttime etc.

Clean with handsoap, not washing up liquid if you have plastic lenses and dry with a teatowel, ideally not washed with fabric conditioner. Get it looked at every couple of months, that’s normally free of charge and propblems can be spotted soon. It I still normal that the screws loosen, after all, they are taken on and off all the time and not necessarily correctly. A good relationship with your optition’s staff is worth their weight in gold.