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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Should 7 year old wear glasses all the time

9 replies

LittleMoosh · 30/10/2009 20:11

When my DS went for eye test at hospital they said he was mildly short sighted and that he should wear glasses all the time until 8 year old to try to correct the problem. After which he may not need them anymore and even if he does he will only wear them for reading, school works, etc.
However, on his last eye test at Specsavers (my DH took him) they said he shouldn't wear them all the time. He's now 7 and I don't know whether he should be wearing them constantly or just for reading and school work. Has anyone out there got a child who had to wear glasses from say age 5 to 8 who can offer some advice. I'm worried that if he's wearing them constantly it might do more harm than good.

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hannahsaunt · 30/10/2009 20:24

I can only speak from my own experience but when I got glasses for the first time at 7, I chose to wear them all the time after the first few days because there was such a level of difference in vision and comfort. I have worn corrective aids every day every since.

bumpybecky · 30/10/2009 20:38

whereas 7 year old me didn't wear them all the time and lost several pairs causing my Mother huge amounts of stress.

Have you nay idea how many pairs of NHS glasses there were in the lost property box at the Royal Albert Hall? I don't either, but was fairly sure I had the right pair after I'd tried on 30 or so pairs of glasses....

dd1 and dd2 both wore glasses full time from 7ish. At first the opticians said it was for boardwork, assembly etc but within a few weeks they were on all the time as it's but easier for everyone.

whereareyou · 30/10/2009 21:57

If he is only mildly short sighted i.e. he can't see well at far distance but is fine close, he would only need them for board work at school or TV.Is he definately short sighted not long sighted as this is the one where you would normally need spectacles for close work?Also this is the one that tends to get better as you grow whereas being shortsighted gets worse.

If he is longsighted and has been advised part time wear it is normally that his prescription is quite mild.However he won't make his eyes worse by wearing them full time.I would ring Specsavers and see if you can speak to the optician who tested his eyes.

3cutedarlings · 30/10/2009 22:05

Personally i would do whatever the hospital have told him to do, specsavers sight test will have been not be where near as acurate as the hospital test. Did they put the drops in?

lucykate · 30/10/2009 22:14

when you say he's mildly short sighted, what is his prescription? i am mildly short sighted and only wear my glasses for driving, watching tv or cinema.

dd (7) wears her glasses all the time, but she is long sighted and has a strong prescription, +6 on the left and +5 on the right.

bettythebuilder · 30/10/2009 22:43

my 6 yr old dd has recently had an eye test and is mildly long sighted- the optician has given her glasses to wear for reading only for the next 3 months, when she said she'll review it to see if dd needs to continue wearing them. Dd has been doing really well using them when she needs to at school.

Wearing them til he's 8 seems an odd watershed- will his eyesight get better on his birthday or does it coincide with another eye test/review eg in 3 or 6 months time?

binjibaghi · 02/11/2009 13:46

Actually around the age of eight is when the human visual system matures! I wouldnt like to say exactly on the eighth birthday though ! would also advise going with the advice from the hospital !

inthesticks · 02/11/2009 16:22

We discovered my son needed glasses when he was 4 and to my dismay the optician said if it had been caught sooner they could have done more to improve his sight. He was told to wear the glasses all the time apart from when doing sport. He did wear them religeously and there was a gradual improvement. He's now 13 and can get away with wereing the specs just for tv, close work etc.
Small boys and glasses are not a good combination though. Be prepared for lots of cleaning and regulartrips to the optican to get bent specs fixed.

fumanchu · 02/11/2009 16:35

I needed glasses at 7 for short-sight, which got worse till I was 16 and then stabilised. Now I need reading glasses as well as my contacts (old age creeping up). My DD got glasses at 7 as she couldn't see the board at school, and her eyes are gradually worsening too. She's started wearing them for TV and reading at home. I'd be guided by your DS - let him wear them when he thinks he needs them. I've never heard of short sight correcting itself.

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