To get a second opinion, does my 3 yo need glasses for this?

[Jennytailia]

took all DC's for an eye test recently. Optician told us DD1(3 yo) was short sighted and they needed to put drops in her eyes and have a look to conclude once and for all.

So we went today for second appointment and optician said she does indeed need glasses as she is slightly short sighted.

After talking to a few people about it I am starting to wonder whether as she is so young and her eyes are still developing whether the slight problem might correct itself.

AIBU to take her to another opticians for another opinion.

I might be wrong about this, but i think that as the eyes grow they tend to get more short-sighted, not less.

Take her for another appointment though if you're worried though.

It is slight longsightedness which DC can grow out of AFAIK, not shortsightedness.
No harm in taking her for a second opinion though.
Can your GP refer your DD to the eye clinic at the hospital for an eye test?

If she's had these tests done she needs them. Without going into boring anatomy and physiology of it, there is a a lot of neuroplasticity (brain changing and developing so to speak wihtout getting too detailed) and her body is effectively laying down her visual pathways. If it doesn't do these correctly now (i.e with the help of lenses if she needs them) she is very likely to always needs lenses later in life.

I don't know what the problem is but my DS1 (who is 6) has had them on since 4 and his eyes have improved so much he is likely to only need them for the white board.

If she needs them, you really should get them for her.

Please get her into glasses. The optician has done years of training and will be right on this, I'm sure.

Of course, get a second opinion from another optician if you must. But please don't listen to anyone who says "nah, leave it, she'll be fine".

Agree, ask GP for referral to eye clinic for examination. Although if they did drops, I'm wondering if you had this done at the eye clinic anyway rather than a high street optician? Do you have her prescription? Would give an indication how short sighted we are talking about.

This will get picked up in the pre-school eye test screening anyway. But if you know this is a problem now, go to GP and they will refer her to to an opthalmologist. The sooner the better.

I would probably assume the optitian knows what he/she is talking about and I would probably take their advice and get her some glasses. I think if it was possible she was going to grow out of it, they may have mentioned it?

I was told by the consultant it is crucial to get them if they need them as it may have an impact when they start school if they can't follow everything clearly. DS1 (5.5) has had them since he was 3 for slight short sightedness and astigmatism and isn't bothered at all - he hates not having them on and has never been teased. As a glasses wearer myself I can't get to upset about it either tbh. I think it is very important.

I had a lazy eye operated on when I was 4 and lack of follow ups meant nobody realised it had failed until I was an adult and it was too late to fix - I now have very bad 3D perception. I realise this isn't what your dd has but I am just making a point about not taking these things seriously.

Yes I have ordered and paid for them, so will be getting them, was just wondering if I should get a second opinion.

So yes I might mention it to the GP next time I'm there, but I don't think I'll see another optician.

She looks cute in them anyway

And it was a high st opticians, they said she was slightly short sighted.

You shouldn't be paying for children's glasses!
If you use the NHS, it's free.
Worthwhile knowing for the future since being little, she'll get through them!

Id wait a year then take her to an alternative optitians. One optician told me my son needed an operation on his eyes before he could wear glasses which he desperately needed, took him to a consultant privately and was told that was bollocks, that he didn't need glasses but he had a lazy eye that wavered when he was tired, that it might not get worse so he could do without glasses.

Some opticians are scare mongers.

Wait 12 months if you get the same response from an optician then then go with the glasses.

Fabby she should take her to the doctors and get a referral to an opthalmologist!

Waiting a year, if there's a problem is to her detriment.

How slight is her short sightedness?

If it is -0.25, I would say "Don't bother"

If it is -2.25, I would say "Give her the glasses"

chiclet Most glasses are free, but you can opt to pay extra for prettier frames. Have done this several times for my daughter. The year of the Spanner Montana craze meant an extra £25 but a very happy 5 year old with sparkly purple spannered specs:o

If it was my child Id pay the £80 for her to see a private consultant before paying for glasses that she may not need. Its what I did for my son.

Hmm, we seem have several experts on here with regards to children's vision and brain development.

FFS - how can people give advise on something they know nothing about.

Comparing your own adult prescription and myopia with that of a child is ridiculous!

OP, as a doctor, I strongly suggest you take her to the GP and get a referral!

Yes little I do the same for my boy too. Fabby, you don't have to pay though, you can be referred and they will deal with it. Of course they shouldn't have to wear glasses they don't need, but waiting it out for a year without seeking a second opinion is just nuts!

And OP, YABU, simply for asking a bunch of strangers on the internet, most of whom will have no background or even idea, as to what to do about your child's sight!

chicle - What is your specialty?

Would you care to enlighten us as to how harmful to a child's brain development a slight short sightedness of -0.25 would be?

Now she has the glasses please encourage her to wear them and please don't tell her you are unsure whether she needs them. I knew I needed them and still found ways not to wear them. My eyesight started like your DD's then went all over the shop and got a lot worse until it got better - in large part because I a) didn't wear them for reading (and read a lot) and b) got them before I began to read, so found them annoying and didn't make the connection between using my eyes for straining activities and wearing glasses. I was told I could ditch them at eighteen. No such chance thanks to not wearing them enough, although they are such a part of me now I don't like my face without them!

I think you are being a little U - eyesight problems, in my experience (whole family wears glasses for varying prescriptions), don't tend to get better without help. I get migraines if I work long hours because my eyes are too far apart on the spectrum and my brain can't process the images.

Definitely take her to the GP. At 3 she should be seen at an eye clinic and not by an optician. 3yo DD has had to have her eyes tested a few times in the past at the Childrens Hospital and the opthalmologist there told us that an optician wouldn't do it until she's 8.

My first eye test at school picked up that I was short sighted. My parents had no idea. I got glasses and on the way home from the optician in the car I was sat in the back marvelling and saying things like, "I can see the leaves on the trees!" Apparently I became noticeably more confident once I could see properly.

My eye sight continued to deteriorate mind you and I'm now -10 in both eyes... but can see perfectly with glasses or lenses.

Mrscarrie thats exactly what happened to me - I didn't see blades of grass until I was 7! My "special needs" for which I was in a special class and had one to one teaching suddenly disappeared too - I was in a normal class again and actuallunby the end of the year to my dad delight in the top group as opposed to being unable to read and write

I am -10 now too