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.

Only read OP
Yes, she will need glasses. Kids grow out of long-sightedness, if she's shortsighted she will get more so. Also, if the eyes are not equal in their short-sightedness then without glasses she could develop a lazy eye.

read thread now - yy, agree with those who say get a referral to opthalmologist and orthoptist, at this age she should be under an orthoptist really.

LilyBolero If there was a binocular vision problem present then the optometrist would definitely have referred OP's DD to an ophthalmologist and orthoptist. For straightforward short-sightedness she needs glasses and a follow up in 3 months. Unless there is a binocular vision problem the ophthalmologist/orthoptist would refer her back to the optometrist anyway.

It was never a question of her wearing the glasses or following the opticians advice, of course I know they have had years of training and know more than me.

The question was whether I should take her for a second opinion. And it seems that no, I shouldn't bother and what I have 'heard' about her growing out of it is wrong.

tbh I would get a referral, my kids' orthoptist likes kids to see her + opthalmologist till they are about 7, and then assuming no more active treatment required (other than glasses - ie no patching etc), then transfer to optician. Even just for regular eye tests for kids with no problems, she thinks it's better to go via her than to the optician.

I am concerned that so many people are just saying 'your optometrist knows best'. These are the people working according to currently accepted practice, which they are taught, but the practice of prescribing corrective lenses for children has not helped to reduce the incidence of myopia and many experts in research now think that it can cause worsening. Look into current research and you will find reference to 'emmetropia', the normal process by which every childs eyes lengthen to bring images into focus as the eyeball grows. Something stops it from lengthening too far and causing myopia, a process of negative feedback, which is still a mystery, but one that researchers are working hard at. Myopia is not genetic - that is apparent from what is being described as an epidemic of myopia in Chinese and east asian children (80 to 90% are now myopic). Genetics does not change that quickly. Something, almost certainly in the visual input (not diet etc) is stopping eyes from getting the signal to stop lengthening. We know that the normal eye stops lengthening in response to a sharp image on the retina, and that this, surprisingly, is governed entirely by the retina, not the brain. We know a great deal about the processes, but not quite what it is that is disturbing the process. Peripheral focus on the retina plays a part. In short, my advice at present is - get the glasses so that learning doesn't suffer, but don't wear them for close work - that is suspect. Above all children should get out into bright light and play in the open. The need for bright light when viewing at a distance seems more important than just avoiding close-work which has so long been implicated but is not the whole story. Sleeping with a light on is also suspect. I wish I had known what I now know when I first got glasses!

I don't know the answer as we were referred to the hospital for ds when he was 8 months and given glasses at 10 months due to being very long sighted as he's always been +7. He would be seen at the hospital but the consultant and sent to the opticians for the actual glasses.

My dd is always very long sighted but wasn't diagnosed until she was 7. She's always been seen by the optician.