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Children's health

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Original poster

Do young kids outgrow longsightedness? - any advice?

18 replies

Roonerspism · 11/08/2014 16:08

Surprisingly, DD (5) has failed her preschool eye test. She is approximately +4 in both eyes. We have been told this means glasses all the time and for life. :(

I thought many children were longsighted and that this often corrected itself. Am I wrong?

I am actually shortsighted and have worn glasses since I was 9. Which makes me wonder if she could outgrow the longsightedness and develop shortsightedness!

it sounds pathetic and it could be much worse, but I found glasses a real pain as I was very outdoorsy and so I really feel for her wearing them so young.

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feetheart · 11/08/2014 16:17

I think it is the other way round - you become more long-sighted with age. I have worn glasses since I was about 6 due to astigmatism and short-sight. The short-sight bit has changed over time but I haven't paid much attention to which way it's gone
If she is only 5 she won't really remember not wearing them (I certainly don't) so try not to feel too sad. I have done some pretty mad things in my glasses over the years and was always up trees, in the sea, charging about as a child :)
Am slightly concerned about doing The Wolf Run in my specs in a few weeks time as I currently don't have a spare pair :o

ilovepowerhoop · 11/08/2014 16:25

+4 is not a small prescription so although it may improve with age she may not totally grow out of it. DD has worn glasses since she was 18 months old (is now 10) and will always need glasses - her prescription is around +5.25 and +4.5 (ish) now. It was higher than that but has improved slightly over the years.

Original poster

Roonerspism · 11/08/2014 18:46

Thanks for the info - all stories helpful.

I don't understand why it doesn't get better with age as thought it was caused by smaller eyeballs. I'm very ignorant on eyes...

Glad to hear it doesn't stop activities! Will need to check out wolfrun

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 11/08/2014 18:49

it will improve a bit but with that prescription she is unlikely to grow out of it completely. It doesnt limit dd and we got her prescription goggles for swimming too (butterflies healthcare online I think)

insanityscratching · 11/08/2014 18:57

My prescription at age 5 was pretty much the same as your dd's, forty years later it's +8.5 at its worst it was +9 so only a tiny improvement in the last couple of years. My dd's was -0.5 at age five now at 11 it's -4.5, her prescription gets stronger every 6 months. Dd soon got used to wearing her specs and now she looks odd without them.

Original poster

Roonerspism · 11/08/2014 18:59

Thanks ilove

On my side there is a massive tendency to shortsightedness - all wearing glasses from 8/9 and this was why we were originally referred.

So I'm doubly confused. I keep thinking if she inherits the tendency to short sightedness then that might correct the long sightedness.

Or maybe a kid can be both?!

I wasn't at the appointment today and have soooo many questions....

OP posts:

ElephantsNeverForgive · 11/08/2014 19:05

I thing there are two separate processes at work.

DCs who ate slightly long sighted eye balls grow and so it can get slightly better, while short sighted (to long eyeballed) people like me and DD2 just get more short sighted until we are adults.

I've pootled along with at -5/-5.5 for years, but at 45 I started to find I need to take my glasses of to type this or to read.

Old age reduces the eyes ability to change the shape of the lenses to focus closely. For normal people that means they need glasses, for me it means I want some fancy varifocals that go to nothing at the bottom. I'm fed up of losing my glasses, I've worn them since I was 10, I can't be doing with taking them off.

ilovepowerhoop · 11/08/2014 19:52

neither dh or I had glasses so it was a shock to us when dd turned out very longsighted. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for eye issues.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 11/08/2014 23:22

I'm not sure if long sight is strongly genetic. Short sight is.

My DDs one dyslexic and the other shortsighted each got their share of my wonky genes. However they both have their parents brains and fortunately not their looks.

Dixiechicken · 12/08/2014 22:23

My son seems to be greeting worse with age, at the age if 7 he's been told today he's got to wear glasses. Although last year he didn't.

He seems to have inherited my wonky genes and like dd1 stuck with being longsighted from childhood.

In a quirke dd2 is shortsighted and will probably stuck with glasses eventually as well.

divingoffthebalcony · 12/08/2014 22:35

I'm l

mandy214 · 12/08/2014 22:36

Hi, my DS has been wearing glasses since just before his 3rd birthday. He was around +7 in each eye. We were under the Eye Hospital and were told from the outset he would always need glasses.

He is now 9 and his prescription is around +6 / +6.25. So its improved a little in 6 years but not much.

I was upset to start with, he was a real rough and tumble little boy and could tell at 2 that he was going to be sporty. He plays football 3 times a week, contact rugby, swims, cubs etc and the glasses have never been an issue. I think glasses are actually quite cool now.

I'm not sure if its genetic. H is short sighted and wore glasses from about 12. I started about 22. DS is a twin and his twin doesn't need glasses, nor does Number 3.

mandy214 · 12/08/2014 22:38

Hi, my DS has been wearing glasses since just before his 3rd birthday. He was around +7 in each eye. We were under the Eye Hospital and were told from the outset he would always need glasses.

He is now 9 and his prescription is around +6 / +6.25. So its improved a little in 6 years but not much.

I'm not sure if its genetic. H is short sighted and wore glasses from about 12. I started about 22. DS is a twin and his twin doesn't need glasses, nor does Number 3.

divingoffthebalcony · 12/08/2014 22:39

Sorry, hit send too soon! I'm long sighted (first got glasses aged five) and although it has "improved" with age - as in my prescription is less strong - it's still bad enough to need glasses.

Don't be sad though, needing glasses is nothing and there's always contacts when she's older. Although, for me, glasses are such an integral part of my face I've never wanted to. Even got married in glasses

Dixiechicken · 12/08/2014 23:36

Diving, I feel the same about my glasses. They are a strong part of my identity. Teen dd1 loves the geeky style of glasses so I suspect she'll keep hers.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 13/08/2014 00:47

Me too, I very very very occasionally wear disposable lenses (mostly for water parks, where I can't get away with my prescription googles).

If I glance in a mirror it isn't me looking back.

DD2 does gymnastics and trampolines. So I see her without her glasses a lot, but it doesn't always register if she's got them on or not.

Ipromise · 13/08/2014 00:55

Dd2 started off with +4 and +3.75

She started wearing glasses at 3 and stopped aged 9 when her prescription had changed to +1 and +0.75 and glasses made little to no difference

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 13/08/2014 01:12

I started wearing glasses at 5 for (latent) long sightedness and astigmatism, it has only got worse unfortunately. I am currently wearing +5.50 and +5.75 contacts just now but they're not really strong enough, last time I had my "true" prescription done it was more like +11ish.

Everyone else in my family is shortsighted.

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