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Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

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Original poster

those of you whose children wear glasses...

82 replies

booyhoo · 30/07/2009 22:00

have they ever been subject to bullying?

both my sister and i wore glasses from primary school age and were both bullied for it. also there was a boy in our school was bullied quite badly for wearing glasses.

my 4 yo ds has just been prescribed glasses and i want to make sure he's able to stand up for himself and hopefully not be affected as badly as i was if he is bullied.

any advice would be appreciated.
tia

OP posts:

seeker · 30/07/2009 22:54

We buy dd glasses from a brilliant online shop - she has a very simple prescription though, so it's easy. She can have a pair of glasses whith lenses for less than 30 quid - so 9spoiled brat that she is) she has a new pair every 6 months or so. The latest are on my profile - 21 pounds they were at Christmas time. I can do a link to the site if anyone's interested, they are brilliant.

edam · 30/07/2009 22:55

Like other posters, I think small children envy kids who wear glasses these days. Ds has been pretending he needs specs for a couple of months now, ever since a girl in his class acquired some.

I knew from his tone of voice, expression and phrasing he was trying it on, but needed to take him for an eye check anyway. Optician confirmed ds is absolutely fine, cue one VERY disappointed small boy!

Lizzylou · 30/07/2009 23:04

I was mortified when DS1 had to wear glasses last year, but he has just finished reception, no bullying whatsoever. He looks fab and replacements are quick to come by. Lots more kids wear glasses these days.
They are not the hideous things they used to be (gawd how bad were the national health frames for girls? All pastel colours???).

Original poster

booyhoo · 30/07/2009 23:04

seeker id like that link please. i dont know what his prescription is exactly. can i just ask the optician? he wont mind will he?

OP posts:

bigstripeytiger · 30/07/2009 23:04

Seeker

What site is it that you use?

edam · 30/07/2009 23:14

Lizzy, not half as bad as the brown NHS specs, actually. My bloody mother insisted on dark brown frames to match my hair. Cue horrible teasing about wearing "boy's" glasses.

lucykate · 30/07/2009 23:18

dd has worn glasses since she was 18 months old, and has never been bullied about it. most of the other girls at school are jealous, and keep asking to have their eyes tested. they all ooo'd and ahh'd at her new barbie glasses.

seeker · 30/07/2009 23:22

here

They do this fab thing where you can have 4 different frames on approval to try on. Great fun!

Problem is now I think about it, I don't think they'd be any good for little people. Dd is in a small adult size and I don't think they do children's ones - sorry.

cat64 · 30/07/2009 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

piscesmoon · 31/07/2009 00:10

I have never come across a problem-even when they wear tinted lenses for dyslexia.

SparklyGothKat · 31/07/2009 00:22

My DD1 has wore glasses since she was 4 months old, she is 9 now, She has plastic frames which I have found better for her rather than metal ones which bend easily.

DS1, 11, has wore glasses since he was 4 and he has the 'twister' glasses.

DD2, 7 has been wearing glasses for about 4 months now, she only needs them for reading and writing, watching TV etc, but she has the plastic frames too.

None of them have been bullied, in fact DD2 was over the moon when the doctor at the hospital said she needed glasses lol

seeker · 31/07/2009 06:45

I know you don't have to pay - but we've always got one "serious" going to school pair from the opticians, and a couple of other pairs for going out and parties and things - that's where the online shop comes in!

mum2RandR · 31/07/2009 08:22

My DS is 9 and has worn glasses since he was 4. He has only ever had one child call him "four eyes" but he wasnt too bothered about it. He has always been fine with them and about 7 other children in his year group also wear glasses, so he isnt on his own.
Im sure your DS will be fine x

cat64 · 31/07/2009 09:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

seeker · 31/07/2009 09:42

That's fine - I was just explaining in case the OP wants to follow our extravagant ways! Dp and I both have awful childhood memories of dreadful glasses, so we tend to over-compensate with dd!

Piglett · 31/07/2009 09:57

Just thought I'd add - my DS has had glasses since he was 2 and he is not at all bothered by them - most other children want to have glasses. I think eye problems are noticed a lot more now and so more young children wear them than thirty years ago and so they are not too unusual. My little one enjoys the fact that he can see through them so we never have any problems with him wearing them - the patching is another story!

BonsoirAnna · 31/07/2009 10:03

My DD has long sight and wears glasses. She loves them! Several children in her year at school wear glasses - long sight in small children is diagnosed much more frequently these days than it was a generation ago (and children don't lose their sight in one eye nearly as often as they did).

MagicGlassesFairy · 31/07/2009 10:06

Another positive story here - DD (age 6) has worn them since age 3. Lovely choice of frames (although we do seem to be back in the optician at least once a week getting them fixed!). No teasing at all - quite a few in her class wear them. V different to my own experience.
We also paid to have the lenses thinned - DD is a v shortsighted -10 so it makes a difference.

MagicGlassesFairy · 31/07/2009 10:10

Seeker - that's a really nice idea for when my DD is older - to have special party glasses. I think her head is too small at the moment to use glassesdirect though. At the moment it has been hard enough persuading the optician to let her have a spare pair (we paid for one in the end). She - and I'm sure lots of other children - just couldn't function without her glasses - yet they seem to think it's reasonable for her to have to wait till they are repaired.

BonsoirAnna · 31/07/2009 10:12

My DD (4.9) is longsighted (about +4). Does anyone on this thread have any experience of long sight as bad as this improving?

YohoAhoy · 31/07/2009 10:15

Another positive story here.

Ds has been wearing them for 5 years (since 5) and not a sinlge bullying problem.

I'd say quite the opposite - several of his friends have commented on how cool his glasses were, and at least 2 have wished they had glasses too!

THe difference in frames since I was at school (I missed the plastic NHS ones fortunately, but had equally attractive "Himmler" specs.) is huge - much nicer.

crankytwanky · 31/07/2009 10:54

My 7yo DD bought some fake glasses to wear to school from new look! With her own pocket money!

GodzillasBumcheek · 31/07/2009 11:23

My 12 year olds both wear glasses but not all the time (computers, reading etc).

They get up to £20 each spent on their glasses, which they don't always use. In primary school they used to wear the free ones because they weren't as fussy.

They do get the occaisional comment but they get far more for 'being twins' and 'being ginger'. Lucky they don't seem to care all that much

elliott · 31/07/2009 12:24

Is there some genetic link between ginger hair and needing glasses or something? that's at least 3 of us...

seeker · 31/07/2009 12:41

I think there must be - something to do with lack of melanin or something? Or maybe it's a mean joke by fate "OK - not only are you a ginger-bonce, but you're a spekky 4 eyes as well!" (speaking as one!)

And dd has freckles as well - clearly visible on my profile!

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