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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how many children are out there wearing glasses they don't need?

46 replies

NotWell · 15/02/2012 13:34

6 months ago when DD was 6 I took her to an optician...it was the first time she had ever been as she was at a private school then and they don't screen.

The optician said she had an astygmatism in her right eye and she needed glasses...and if they didn't improve then later she would need to be patched up.

I then chose some frames with DD and we went home...we waited for a month...called the opticians and they had had a mix up and the prescription had not been made up.

I was annoyed but accepted this....they reordered them and again we waited..called...not ready yet....in the meantime we had some other issues and had to go abroad unexpectedly..I left a phone message with them to tell them.....we returned and went back for the glasses only to be told they had been dismantled and we would need to have more ordered.

I suggested we needed another test as it had been so long...they were acting as if I were being unreasonable so I siad we'd find another optician.

We just got back from a very reputable optician and she said DD has no need of glasses and certainly no astygmatism....she sent us away.

Confused

DD was all hyped up about the glassses...she didn't want them really but was trying to be cheerful and I was happy she ddn't have any problems...but I am confused! Could the 1st optician have been rubbish? Or is it possible for an Astygmatism to go away in 6 months?

OP posts:
LadySybilDeChocolate · 15/02/2012 13:36

I had astygmatism and it went. It's caused by a weakness in the muscles so it can resolve if it's mild.

Moln · 15/02/2012 13:38

I wonder this too - also with adults, every three years people in my office are sent to an eye test by our employer, and last time (different optician than before) everyone (who didn't previously have glasses) was told they had a need for glasses as they eye sight was 'slightly' long or short

Selling glasses can be big business!

Original poster
NotWell · 15/02/2012 13:41

That's what my sister said LadyS that DD must have grown and developed more...

OP posts:
LadySybilDeChocolate · 15/02/2012 13:46

It does happen. I always wondered why every optician I've seen wears glasses though. Confused

Original poster
NotWell · 15/02/2012 13:56

Ha! Funnily enough the one we saw today wasn't...but she was an excellent optician.

OP posts:
LadySybilDeChocolate · 15/02/2012 13:59
Smile
HappySeven · 15/02/2012 15:06

Astigmatism isn't caused by weak muscles but by the shape of the cornea not being quite perfect. I don't see why it would need patching either. Could you have confused it with strabismus?

I believe you can improve with time as well. I've been told that my DS needs glasses now but hopefully won't in a few years time. Good to hear you DD doesn't need to worry about it though.

ReduceRecycleRegift · 15/02/2012 15:08

I have an astigmatism that was missed and NOT patched, didn't get glasses till much later, as a result I have one pretty useless eye that could have been much better had I had glasses /patch when I was young enough for it to resolve.

ouryve · 15/02/2012 15:14

That's definitely not an astigmatism. If astigmatism was corrected by patching eyes, I'd have to walk around blindfolded!

I also have a slight weakness in my eye muscles that only manifests if I'm tired.

Katiepoes · 15/02/2012 15:14

Oh please be careful with this - I have asigmatism that was identified when I was six. Someone told my Mum that if I 'exercised' the eye it would go away - so until I was in 14 and the optician told her off my glasses were whipped away as soon as I got in from school. I was short sighted - already -3 and -4 at aged seven and all taking my glasses did was give me two horrible lines between my eyebrows from squinting (and a mild hatred of the busybody know-all neighbour that told her that).

That of course does not mean your case is the same, but if you see your DD looking at all squinty....get her the glasses.

HappySeven · 15/02/2012 15:17

Astigmatism

Original poster
NotWell · 15/02/2012 15:59

But Katie what glasses? There are none and the optician said there is no need.

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 15/02/2012 16:10

Personally i would get another opinion. It's cruel to not take care of your childs eyes or teeth, imo.

Happypiglet · 15/02/2012 16:10

Astigmatism is a shape of your eye issue not a muscle issue.
AFAIK It can only be corrected by glasses or surgery. I have astigmatism in one eye. At DS2s reception health check the nurse picked up vision issues. The optician we went to see referred him to the nhs eye out patients service. DS2 had an undisguised astigmatism which he may have been BORN with. As it had not been corrected his brain had turned off the poor eye and was not using it at all. He had practically zero sight in that eye.
As he was four years old patching his good eye so forcing his poor eye to work and forcing his brain to turn the eye back on has reversed this so now he has nearly normal vision in that eye WITH glasses. He will always need glasses to correct the issue.
After around seven years old your brain looses the ability to forge this new pathways to the optic nerve and so if it hadn't been picked up his eye would have been permanently unusable.
BTW he had no perceptible vision issues as his brain had learnt to just use his perfect eye.

Happypiglet · 15/02/2012 16:11

Undiagnosed

HowToLookGoodGlaikit · 15/02/2012 16:13

You dont patch for astigmatism. My son has a double squint AND astigmatism, and it was made very clear by the horpital that patching was useless for both (though patching would have been used if he had a single squint).

Happypiglet · 15/02/2012 16:17

Bit it has worked for my son! But he only has issues with one eye so that might be the difference?

nickelDorritt · 15/02/2012 16:18

I have astigmatism, but it's very mild (1/1 dioptre) - my eyes are squished (imagine a rugby ball)
I don't need my glasses, but i wear them if i'm rather tired.

there's a chance that the new optician decided that your dd's wasn't strong enough to worry about - indeed, mine was only spotted as an adult because i was using a computer a lot. the optician then said if it weren't for the constant computer use i might never have known i had it.
your crappy optician probably exaggerated it to get the sale.
wouldn't need patcing, that's just odd.

nickelDorritt · 15/02/2012 16:20

1/1 ??? Confused
i meant 1/2
i've got a baby in my arms Blush

elephantsteaparty · 15/02/2012 16:31

I went to a small, independent, opticians for years. Saw the ophthalmist every time I went, trusted them completely. Am short sighted (but not too bad) and have astigmatism in one eye. All well and good.

When I was at uni my glasses fell apart and although I just about kept them in one piece I really needed a new pair so got my eyes tested at one of the large chains (I forget which). They rang my usual place and were surprised to hear the receptionish knew exactly who I was (they obviously didn't have the same relationship with their clients), but at least they had my old prescription so had something to work from.

So I got my eyes tested, and was very impressed with all the gadgetry. They discovered significant change, and astigmatism in both eyes. Hmmm. I didn't entirely trust them and couldn't find any glasses I liked so lef with the prescription.

Took their prescription to my old place and showed it to my ophthamologist. Who laughed, loudly, then took it to show the guy who owned the place. Turns out it was a work of fiction. I do only have astigmatism in one eye (which has been confirmed by another high street chain who I DO trust), and my eyesight was nothing like as bad as the other place was saying.

So I don't necessarily trust these people.

whackamole · 15/02/2012 16:39

Don't know really. I only know from my own experience - 3 years ago my eyes had deteriorated somewhat, although still only mildly short-sighted. Last eye test (just before Xmas) they had improved quite a lot.

KWL51 · 15/02/2012 16:44

Both of my ds needed glasses at 6 through to 9. We were just told they no longer needed glasses at that annual check? Both slightly short sighted and told at two opticians. We had both first prescriptions checked as we're done at a notorious chain for mis-prescribing.

Am not sure if to take dd1 who will be 6 in march. They haven't had any eye tests at school yet.

DartsAgain · 15/02/2012 16:52

Please be aware that eye tests are not an exact science. You can see the same optician, but have slightly different results each time. Things like tiredness, irritated eyes, all sorts of things, can affect how tests go. If you're not happy with the results get the optician to re-test.

DartsAgain · 15/02/2012 16:59

I've always needed glasses, but my dippy parents didn't get me to an optician until I was 7, when it was almost too late to do anything. My mum would see me creeping closer to the tv to actually see it (short sighted, very badly now), and would tell me to move away or I'd ruin my eyes...Confused

It took someone at the school to suggest an eye test. You'd have thought my parents would have been more aware, given that mum is long sighted and needs glasses, and dad is very shorted sighted and needs glasses Grin

If any parent wears glasses, it's always worth getting young children to an optician to check, they often now have tests that don't rely on reading letters, so younger kids can be tested. I was told that the window for correcting problems starts to close at around 8 years of age, and my 2 dcs began their eye tests when the oldest was 5 years old.

DD is now 11.5 and has worn glasses for mild short sightedness for a year. It made a big difference when she got them.

DS is 8 and so far does not need them.

Original poster
NotWell · 15/02/2012 17:45

We made her another appointment to get checked again...we rang up....just to be safe!

Both opticians were chains...the one today was more "upmarket". They certainly seemed more professional!

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