Does she need glasses?

[Optimow]

So my nearly 3 year old DC had their eyes tested, and they were found to be long-sighted, with a prescription of +1. Do they need glasses? the optician said not to bother and to bring them back in a year, but DC can read and really enjoys reading books, so I don't know if it would help them enjoy their hobby.

I have a prescription of 0.75 (plus and minus, so short and long). This means I see everything at a level of 0.75. I do not wear glasses as I find them uncomfortable and I do not get on with contacts. I am fine! I do wear glasses for driving but this is more to safeguard others than because I find it hard to see.

I would say to ask your DC if she wants glasses. I suppose maybe she could have a cheapie pair just to try (maybe even some bargain bucket reading glasses at 1.0 prescription). Then if she really finds them helpful, you can get ‘proper’ glasses. The optician probably thought that the effort to habilitate your child to glasses would be a bit much based on how her sight is not too bad. It’s personal preference at this level.

If the optician doesn't see a need for them then I'd just leave it and then reassess when they get their next annual eye test

I think I worry because my DC does regularly complains about headaches, so I am not sure if having glasses would help with those

Did you tell the optician about the headaches? Is she +1 in both eyes?

If she gets headaches then glasses could well be worth trying. Or at least a cheap pair. This is really random but does she have long and thick hair? I have thick hair and I get lots of headaches if it goes beyond a certain length and I wear it in a ponytail.

Maybe the optician doesn’t think her sight is bad enough to get headaches. It’s very hard to say. My sight is similar and I only get hair-related headaches. It could be worth seeing if glasses help but maybe it’s something else.

You sound like such a caring Mum by the way! I love how you’re up for whatever will give her her best version of life.

@dementedpixie they didn't really explain anything, just said +1 (without saying if it was 1 or both eyes) and to bring her back next year. I don't think I mentioned the headaches, I probably should have

@Feliciacat she had her hair short, so no ponytails for her

I think if the optician had known about the headaches, that could have changed things. Is it worth giving them a call to update them and see if their advice changes? At least she’s already had the eye test so won’t need that again.

@Feliciacat that sounds like a plan, I will call on Monday. She is very little, but starting nursery soon, so I am keen to make everything as smooth for her as possible

Aww how cute. She will get off to a great start with your support behind her. I hope her headaches improve soon. Good luck!

Normal refraction in a 3 year old is +1.00, they are usually longsighted at that age. I wouldn't prescribe that unless there was a latent squint or a very high AC/A ratio even if they were getting headaches.

@Optimow did they not give you a copy of the prescription? My optician always gives a copy whether glasses are prescribed or not.

@dementedpixie no copy of the prescription, it was an end of the day appointment that we got at short notice due to a cancellation, and they were closing up

@underneaththeash good to know, is there anywhere I could read more about this?

Call them back and discuss it.
Ask to be explained to in laymens terms.
We had a boarderline eye test for glasses at age 4 and had to return 6mths later then a year it was decided with a dye test.

@Optimow here

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21722183/. It can see it, but I suspect you may not be able to (but you can pay).

Hi there
At just over 2 years old my baby girl had Covid and developed a squint in her eye. I promptly took her to an eye specialist who told me she was long sighted. She was prescribed glasses which correct her squint and her prescription is 4 and 3.

My question is - does anyone have any experience with this? Did the squint improve over time? Did the prescription go down over time? I’m thinking the consultants contradict themselves so am going for a second opinion . One says squint can be corrected with surgery, the other says it cannot as the glasses will make the eye turn out again. Very confused so any advice appreciated!

thanks in advance 😊

My dd got squint surgery as her eye still had a noticeable squint with her glasses on. Now it's not as bad with her glasses on but her eye will turn in when her glasses are off. If they correct it any more it could make her eye turn outward instead with her glasses on.

My dd had a fairly high prescription to start with and it improved slightly over the years and is now probably at +3 and +5 at age 20 (got glasses at 18 months).

My dd will likely always need glasses (or contacts if she prefers).

Some types of squint can be corrected with surgery, but if your daughter’s is fully corrected with glasses they usually don’t recommend it.

I wouldn’t bother with a second opinion, when you next see the consultant you can ask any questions then. It’s a fairly common condition. If you would like to google it the full name is ‘fully accommodative esotropia’

yes, her vision will get a little better in her tweens/teens and that possibly could be enough for her not to wear glasses all the time.