Glasses I'm so upset

[Hellomummy23]

So my little girl went for a routine eye check her first one as she's never had one she's 7. Never had any problems with her eyes never complained is a great reader far and close.
They have said she's a +2.00 on both eyes and would need to start wearing glasses for most of her tasks as the more she wears the better. I'm in complete shock and heartbroken. I know there is bigger things going on in the world but I'm just so shocked and upset. Does anyone else's child have the same strength ones and have often for they wear? I just think what if they have mad a mistake ... I know they haven't in just shocked tbh and my little girl is heartbroken she doesn't want glasses. I was in shock yesterday I didn't even get to ask any questions

What a fuss about nothing. Glasses are very normal. Plenty of children have them at that age. Some of DC's classes wear them. Couldn't tell you how many because it's not a noticeable thing in the least.

Well, @JustExistingNotLiving if OP was in shock for several days then I doubt she reassured her daughter very effectively!

It's just glasses. Children get upset about all sorts of things, we reassure them and jolly them along because that's our job.

When she's older she can probably get lenses if she still doesn't like wearing them, but they're increasingly fashionable and will very quickly just be part of her face. I wore mine on my wedding day.

Oh wow. Get a grip please.

Gosh at my school they're all desperate to wear them cos it's seen as cool. You need to find her some people or characters she likes who wear glasses. Show her it's not a negative thing. She's just as beautiful as without them BUT it's about looking her eyes and making sure they don't get poorly so we have to wear them.

She can also tell that to other kids if they ask but honestly, no one will bat an eyelid.

My kids are desperate to wear glasses and I have to say both carry them off very well although sadly neither need them 😭

Both kids have others in their class that have had to wear corrective eye patches which no one has ever found a big deal let alone glasses wearers.

You're in shock and heartbroken. That's a bit more than "I was sad to see how upset she was because obv glasses aren't a big deal".
Trust me, hardly anyone will notice. Kids go to school with feeding tubes up their noses / nasal cannulas for O2 up their noses and the kids just accept it and carry on. Glasses really aren't a big deal at school.

My (now) 2 year old wears glasses. He has done since he was just over 1. He is a +7.5 in both eyes. He wears them all the time, he soon got used to them and it’s noticeable when they’re not on for him and us in terms of rubbing eyes, grouchy, clumsy etc. He looks adorable in them and now when I see pictures of him pre glasses, he looks strange without them.

He got used to them quickly and I’m sure your daughter will too. They’re glasses, there’s not really a lot of advice to give.

Ds started wearing glasses at 5. His prescription was so bad for one eye he was under the eye hospital for 18 months with a view to him wearing a patch if his eyesight didn't improve. I can't remember what his prescription was but it was a lot higher than 2.

Because he wore his glasses religiously he improved his prescription in that eye and has a much lower prescription today, he is almost 18.

Do you know what made it brilliant? Every teacher in his school including the head teacher who saw him wearing his glasses and telling him how cool he looked. I also volunteered in that school and wear glasses for reading so they were on top of my head until I needed to read something. All the children who got new glasses came to show me their new ones like it was a cool club to belong to.

If another child in your child's class is being bullied because they wear glasses then you need to report that to the teacher. Lots of children wear glasses, some just for close up reading like me so you won't have seen them wearing them in the playground.

Our other son needed an operation under general anaesthetic when he was a baby. My definition of heartbreaking was realising that this massive children's hospital was obviously there because there are so many sick children with life long illnesses. We considered ourselves lucky that this was hopefully a one off visit, unlike several of the children we saw in there. Wearing glasses means your child can see.

There's no way there will only be 2 kids in a class wearing glasses for much longer - lots of them will be getting them to read or for distance soon. I started with contacts at 11 and never had any problems with them.

+2 isn't a large prescription, so I wouldn't be too concerned. You can routinely buy ready made spectacles from many shops, from I think +3 and lower, quite cheaply if you wanted to save a little on costs. The only caveats would be needing the same strength in both eyes, and finding a size suitable for a child.

I think you need to hide your reaction from your daughter and be really excited by the fact she is going to get to choose some really cool glasses to wear! I was similar age when I needed glasses and I remember being so excited about it and I loved choosing the frame.

Ignore a the people criticising your reaction.
None of their business.
Now facts.... +2 isn't much
It's a worry the optician didn't explain why they used drops.
In all honesty I'd say get another opinion.
Some kids manage without +2, some only need for reading very few would need to wear that at age 7 all the time.
Younger possibly yes
Second opinion needed

Actually I have.

However nowadays when kids are in mainstream school with other disabilities that need more obvious equipment it is far less likely to happen.

Also by the time she gets to secondary more kids will be wearing glasses.

My 5 year old is currently the only one in her year wearing glasses. As you go up the school in year groups there are more glasses wearer.

The only thing the OP can do is see if her child can be referred to the ophthalmology unit of her local hospital.

However if they think a child can be managed at a local opticians they will discharge them.

Incidentally from GCSEs lots of people with lower prescriptions than +2 or -2 started wearing their glasses full time while studying.

@Reugny but that’s not the OP’s dd experience who has already seen another child in her class being laughed at for wearing glasses.

The fact it’s less likely to happen now doesn’t change HER reality.

maybe you could talk to this poster
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/4897625-my-35-yr-old-is-diagnosed-with-myopia-and-i-am-terrified-and-confused-just-thinking-about-it

As a child, my parents took me for an eye test after my Mum was helping me with some homework. She picked up something to show me and I laughed and said "hold it further back - it's too close, I can't read it there!".

I ended up having glasses particularly for close up work as I was long sighted.

Wasn't a surprise - my Dad is particularly long sighted.

Now I'm 44 and wear glasses, but I'm now short sighted, so have to wear them for driving and don't need them for close up work! Again, not a surprise - my Mum is particularly short sighted!

Long story short, eyesight can change a lot over the course of your life.

I went from being +whatever when I was a child, then through to -1.75 as a 30-odd year old and now I'm at -0.50 and heading back to having good vision, before I probably end up back with reading glasses!

If none of your family wear glasses (other than age related reading glasses), I can see that your child suddenly having to wear them can be a bit of a shock and you may be more upset that you didn't realise, rather than the fact that she has to wear them. Maybe your DD is upset because she thinks wearing glasses will make her stand out. Is there anyone else in her class that wears glasses? Do they get picked on maybe?

I agree to sell it to her as a positive thing and point out that she'll now be able to see everything much clearer.

"Heartbroken"?! Really! I've worn glasses since I was 8 - never been an issue. I actually quite liked it as, rightly or wrongly, I thought it showed that I was one of the geeky, clever kids.
Come on, OP - make it fun and special for her!

I have a relative that's -21! Everytime she has an eye appointment (at a specialist hospital) they bring all the students in! 😂

The optometrists had to bring in new equipment just to be able to make glasses of the right thickness for her. They are crazy - very small circle of vision in the middle and chamfered down towards the arms so that they stand any chance of folding closed. At their thickest the lens must be about 15mm thick.

I've been wearing glasses since I was a similar age.
Her prescription isn't 'big' but she does need the glasses. They will help her enormously.
Loads of kids wear glasses - it's normal. Have a good look at other kids in her year. You'll now notice lots of them have specs.
It's really not a big thing at all. Your reaction is quite extreme to something that is so very normal.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, by the time she is 10/11, she will be able to wear contacts if she wants.

My son asked to wear them at that age and gets on well with them (although it took a long opticians apt for him to learn to put them in, and then a bit of perseverance at home while he got used to doing that in the mornings). They are daily disposables so he just gets on with it by himself.

As an adult registered partially sighted and finds glasses don't help, it's difficult to have sympathy when people complain about wearing glasses. Be grateful they actually help and don't leave you struggling to do basic everyday things people take for granted.

Ahh OP it's hard isn't it.

But to make you feel better I had the same, firstly with my eldest who at aged 5 I found out needed glasses at +7.5 in bath eyes - massive shock and I felt terrible for not noticing. Then some 4 years later found out my youngest at age 6 was actually deaf and needed hearing aids..... Once is excusable maybe, but twice, well......
Once the shock has worn off you'll realise it's pretty common for kids to be long sighted and they quickly get used to wearing glasses when needed.